Written in Blood
by mayghaen17
Summary: Elena always knew returning to Mystic Falls would be hard. But she never expected it to be like this. She is faced with another supernatural threat that could ruin everything and she's falling in love with Damon in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: I started this story awhile ago, and I only have a few chapters written, but I'm going to start posting anyway. I'll update whenever I can. It seems like having a story up pushes me to finish it, so that's what I'm hoping will happen with this one. :) I have no idea how long this story will be and I'm going to be taking some liberties with the characters and their family ties and fuse the books and the show together...let's see how it works out :) enjoy :)**

**Oh, and I will be working on a Tyler/Elena story too as a request from Hecate's Diamon (I'm finally starting it!) so look for that too. For those of you that have read my Nothing Without You series, T/E will kind of be like that :)**

ONE

Damon sat in the tree outside of Elena's window. He watched her with sadness as she moved quickly around the room, scrambling to get ready. She was in her cap and gown and there was a smile on her face; a smile that he hadn't seen before. She moved with excitement and it made him feel a little guilty. He forced the feeling away, telling himself that it wouldn't affect her in the least. She wouldn't miss him. His lip curled as he thought about the ring Stefan had shown him earlier.

_"What do you think?" he asked, tossing a little black box across the parlor._

_ Damon caught it and froze. "I'm pretty sure the state of Virginia frowns upon marriages between the same sex," he taunted, hiding his panic. "Not to mention one between siblings."_

_ Stefan rolled his eyes. "It's for Elena." He moved closer and motioned for Damon to open the box. "Do you think she'll like it?"_

_ His stomach twisted and he felt sick as he opened the box and stared at the little heart shaped diamond on a silver band. Quickly, he snapped the box closed and roughly returned it to his younger brother. "She'll love it," he said a bit colder than he intended._

_ "You're coming tonight, right?" Stefan asked as Damon began to walk towards the front door._

_ "Seriously? This isn't the first time you've graduated high school. I think I'll pass."_

_ "Elena wants you there."_

_ He snorted. "Have fun," he retorted before leaving the room._

Since then, he had been perched outside the Gilbert house with his eyes glued to Elena. He stuck to the shadows as he followed her through the house. He had dealt with his feelings for her and decided it was best to keep those feelings to himself. The last thing anyone needed was a repeat of 1864; even if he truly believed that it was meant to be this time around. He didn't have a choice where Katherine had been concerned, but he didn't have to stick around to see Stefan get the girl. Again.

He had been content with being Elena's friend. They would see movies, play pool, do all sorts of things together. He loved that she let him push her in their verbal banter. He had even gotten her to say things that let everyone know she had been hanging around him a little too much. As long as she was a part of his life, Damon was fine with being her friend while she was dating his brother.

But for Stefan to propose...

He couldn't stand the idea.

At least with being friends, he had the faintest trace of hope that it wouldn't work out and she would come to him. It was a stretch, but he couldn't help himself. It was time for him to leave Mystic Falls; as he should have done the moment he realized that he was in love with Elena Gilbert.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Elena moved towards a framed photograph on her dresser. The smile on her face dimmed and turned to one of a bittersweet emotion. He could see it was a picture of her parents. She brought the frame to her lips and then hugged it to her chest. "I wish you could be here to see this," she breathed, her voice carrying through the window that was slightly ajar. "I miss you guys so much."

Damon wanted nothing more than to go inside and hold her; to take away that pain he heard in her voice. She still blamed herself for the accident, he knew that, but there was nothing anyone could do about it. She carried the picture to the bed and laid down on her side, curling up into a little ball. A few tears slid down over her cheeks and she took a few deep, calming breaths.

Before she knew it, she was out cold. It was then that Damon moved inside. It was still fairly early, she had plenty of time for a nap before the graduation ceremony started, followed by the party at the Grill. He stood by her bed and gently sat on the edge. He brushed the hair out of her face and traced her cheekbones, her jaw, her lips. This would be the last time he saw her and his eyes stared at her intensely, etching her into his mind. He stood up and bent over, placing his lips to her forehead. "Goodbye, Elena," he breathed and disappeared from her room.

* * *

The Grill was packed. Almost the entire town had turned up to celebrate the most recent graduating class. Elena was in a good mood, surrounded by friends and family. It would have been better if either one of the Salvatore brothers decided to make an appearance. She had been talking about this day nonstop for months. Damon had promised to be there and as her new best friend, she was getting worried about the fact that he had yet to turn up. When she spotted Stefan making his way through the crowd, her smile brightened and she met him halfway. "We made it!" she cried over the crowd noise.

"You made it," he corrected, flashing her a smile. "Can we talk outside?" he asked and took her hand in his.

She nodded and let him lead her through the crowd. Once outside, she took a deep breath. It felt nice to take a break from all the people inside. She was pretty sure the maximum occupancy had already been reached and then some. "Where's Damon?" she asked.

He shook his head. "He's not here?"

"He said he would be, but I haven't heard from him all day."

Stefan's brows furrowed with concern. He had been late because he had needed to feed more than usual. The Grill had so many people that even being outside the building was proving to be difficult. His thoughts went to earlier; how Damon had reacted when Stefan showed him the ring. He had a sinking suspicion about what had happened, but the last thing he needed was anything to spoil the mood he was trying to create. "He left when I did. Maybe he decided to feed first."

Elena nodded wearily, and smiled at him, refusing to let anything bother her. Today was a happy day and she was determined to stay that way. "What did you want to talk about?"

Here it was, the moment he had been planning for months now. He had spent the better part of the day practicing his speech in front of the mirror. He reached forward and took her hands in his. "You know I love you right?"

"And I love you," she returned.

"From the moment I met you, there was something that drew me in. I had to get to know you. I'm sorry that I put you through hell these last couple of years, but that just proved that we can get through anything that life has to throw at us." He paused and moved one of his hands to her cheek, cupping it lightly. "I've said it before and I will say it a million times more, but my love for you has nothing to do with _her_. It never did and never will. When I look at you, I know what real love is. I hate that it took me so long to find you, but it was worth the wait." He paused to wet his lips which had suddenly gone dry. He hadn't felt this nervous since he had been human. "Elena, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want us to be together forever."

Elena's breath caught in her throat at his words. She never thought he would ask her. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she felt her head nodding with a non verbal response. The words tumbled past her lips before she could stop herself. "Yes," she breathed.

At the same moment she spoke, Stefan let go of her face and began to kneel before her. They both froze. Elena's eyes began to widen and the tears vanished. Her head began to shake and she pulled her hand from his. Stefan stood up and stared at her. "Elena-"

"Marriage? You're asking me to marry you?" He could hear the disbelief in her voice and it left him puzzled.

"Of course. What did you..." his voice trailed off as he caught on. She looked at the ground, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "You thought I was asking to turn you."

"You said forever!" she hissed. The tears came back, this time they meant sadness instead of joy.

"Elena-"

She looked up at him and shook her head. "Stefan, I'm eighteen. In two years, people are going to think it's weird that we're together." A tear slid down her cheek. "How is it fair of me to ask that you stay with me while I grow old and die in front of you? I love you, Stefan. I want to be with you forever, I do."

He took a step back at her words. They cut through him and left him deeply confused. "You _want_ this? The life of a monster?" He shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't plague anyone else with this curse. Especially not you."

She noticed the small steps he was taking to get away from her. That brought up the anger within her. "Shouldn't that be my choice?" she whispered.

He shook his head more forcefully. "I can't. I'm sorry. I won't do that to you Elena."

Silence fell between the pair as they stood starting at each other. They knew what was coming next and neither of them wanted it to happen, but there was no other choice. "Then I think..." Elena started, trying to keep her voice steady. "I think we're done."

"Elena-" his voice was pleading and the tears gathering in his eyes made her heart break.

"There's no other way, Stefan," she stated.

His head hung in defeat for a moment before he walked up to her and cupped her face in his hands. He backed her up until she was pinned between his body and the wall. He kissed with an intensity she'd never experienced with him before; something that had been lacking in their relationship to start. He pulled away abruptly and rested his forehead against hers. "I'll never forget you," he whispered.

She laid her hands on his forearms and nodded as best she could. "Neither will I. You opened my eyes to all of this. I'll always love you."

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger longer than necessary. "Goodbye, Elena," he whispered and then he was gone.

Elena took a few deep breaths, but it did no good. Tears were burning their way down her cheeks and her body was shaking. She wished that Damon was there to comfort her, but Stefan's confusion earlier had confirmed it. Damon was gone and he hadn't even said goodbye.

As fast as they had come into her life, the Salvatore brothers and vanished from it.

Instead of going back inside, Elena took one last look at the building and began walking towards her house. She thought about the road ahead, making her final decision once she was inside of her room. After writing notes to the appropriate people, she left.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: some of you might guess where this is going...two of you know exactly where this is going lol. I'm posting this early because I'm 21 today and this is my gift to you! Haha and I also posted ch 5 of Fighting Fate. :)**

TWO

Elena paced in front of the luggage carousel. She was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. After four years of phone calls and letters, she had finally agreed to see her family again. She knew running away like she did had hurt them; it had hurt her too, but at the time, running away was just was she needed. She had spent four years traveling the country trying to find herself. However, at the end of the day, she longed for home. She missed her friends and her family, but the memories were the only things that kept her away. She wasn't quite ready to face them then.

But she was ready now.

Although, as she stood there with her luggage by her feet, she felt the panic rising in her system. Her thoughts went to what it would be like when she saw Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt for the first time. The day after graduation they were supposed to have gone on a road trip. Instead, she had abandoned them, leaving a very vague note scribbled hastily that night. The same dread filled her at the prospect of seeing Jeremy. She had abandoned him as well. She had missed his graduation and left him alone when she promised to protect him as only a sister could.

What hurt the most was the idea that Stefan and Damon wouldn't be there. Two years of her life had revolved heavily around the Salvatore brothers and it had taken four years to even begin to get her mind off of them. Going back wasn't going to help any.

She knew Jenna and Alaric were the only people not mad at her. That was only because she talked to Jenna frequently either by email, letters, or phone calls. Elena knew her aunt was disappointed that her niece had missed her wedding. Elena felt remorse and guilt when she thought about it. She should have been there to support Jenna. Jenna had given up her life for her and her brother and when she needed Elena the most, she wasn't there. Elena knew her mother would have scolded her for that behavior.

But that was in the past.

"Elena!" came Jenna's voice, filled with excitement as she made her way through the thin crowd towards her niece. Her arms flew around the younger girl and she held her tight. "Don't you _ever_ scare me like that again," she begged, wetting Elena's hair with her tears.

Elena hugged her back and felt tears prickling at her eyes. "I know, I'm sorry," she mumbled as she had done several times before.

Jenna finally relinquished her hold and smiled warmly at Elena. "I'm so glad you're home."

Elena nodded, still unsure if she felt the same. It was then that she noticed Alaric watching their interaction. "Welcome home," he said as he walked up to them, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks," she replied, offering him a small smile.

"Are you hungry? I know it's a long flight from Seattle."

She nodded. "I could eat," she replied and moved for her luggage, but he stopped her.

"Let me," he said and walked behind Jenna and Elena.

"And don't you dare think you're off the hook," Jenna warned once they were in the elevator. "You owe me one hell of an explanation."

Elena sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to brush off the topic. It was easy over the phone because she could just hang up when Jenna asked, but Jenna would force it out of her sooner rather than later now that she couldn't dodge her as easily in person. "As soon as we get home," she promised.

"And you don't have to sugarcoat it," Jenna said, locking eyes with the younger girl. "I _know_."

The elevator doors opened and Elena's head snapped towards Alaric. He met her gaze and inclined his head. "I'll explain if you will."

She narrowed her eyes at him and stormed off of the elevator, following Jenna through the rows of cars until they came to Alaric's. "Where would you like to eat?" Jenna asked once they were on the road.

"I don't care. I'll eat anything," Elena assured them as her stomach growled. As Alaric drove, she settled in her seat, resting her head against the window, trying not to think about what would be waiting for her at home.

* * *

It was late by the time they arrived in Mystic Falls. Between the long car ride and the lengthy flight, Elena was beyond exhausted. The idea of sleep went out the window the moment she stepped over the threshold of the front door. Memories, both good and bad, came rushing back and she remained frozen until they stopped.

"Elena?" Jenna called out softly, bringing her out of her trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just weird being back," she explained quickly and moved to the kitchen to get a glass of water to wet her dry throat. It was her house and yet it didn't feel like it anymore. She felt as though she were intruding on Jenna and Alaric.

"Hey, you've had a long day, do you want to talk in the morning?"

Elena shook her head and placed the glass on the counter. "We might as well get it out of the way now otherwise I'll start making excuses and you know it." Jenna nodded and moved to the living room. Elena and Alaric followed, sitting on opposite ends of the room. "So..." Elena started, playing with her hands in her lap. "Where do you want me to start?" she asked.

"Graduation," Jenna answered almost immediately. "Right before you disappeared."

Elena nodded and decided on giving her the condensed version. She was sure she'd have to relive the story many times depending on who else was back in town, but she didn't feel like reliving the details. Those wounds had just started healing. "Basically, Stefan proposed and I said no. We broke up and he left. I couldn't go back into the Grill and pretend to be happy, so I went home."

"So he didn't turn you," Jenna stated in a deadpan voice.

"No," Elena answered harshly, ignoring the raised eyebrows the pair was giving her. "How did you find out?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I couldn't lie to her anymore. Especially when Jeremy and I were under the assumption that since you and Stefan had disappeared at the same time..." Alaric stopped to clear his throat. "It was just time to tell her. She handled it a lot better than I thought she would."

Speaking of her brother... "Where is Jeremy?"

Jenna and Alaric tensed and their eyes shifted towards one another, giving Elena the distinct impression that whatever they were about to say was going to be a half truth or a flat out lie. "He's still in town. He moved out after we got married last year. He works at the Grill," Jenna informed her.

Elena let that information sink in. It sounded plausible and she left it alone. She stretched and yawned before getting to her feet. "I will tell you all about my travels tomorrow."

Jenna smiled as she got to her feet, pulling Elena into yet another hug. "Your room's just the way you left it."

She nodded and slowly made her way up to her room. Her luggage was in front of her door thanks to Alaric. Elena stopped with her hand on the door knob, unable to go any further. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to turn the knob and looked inside. Jenna was right; the room was _exactly_ as she had left it. The sheets were still rumpled from where she had taken her nap before the ceremony. The picture of her parents was lying face up on the nightstand.

She had been strong these past four years. When she thought of home, she was always able to keep the tears at bay. However strong she might have been before, she was equally weak as she closed the door behind her. She fell to the floor, using the door as a backrest. Her body refused to respond as tears slid down her cheeks like a leaky faucet. For the first time in four years, Elena let herself feel the pain of what she had lost. In a single day she had lost the love of her life and her best friend.

And the worst part was, she wasn't sure which Salvatore filled which role.

* * *

Elena had woken up in her own bed feeling completely rested. It was the best sleep she had gotten in four years and it was long overdue. After taking a relaxing shower, she dressed for the day and headed downstairs to find Jenna reading a magazine while drinking coffee. "Morning," she said, looking up to smile at her niece as she helped herself to the coffee.

"Morning," Elena returned and sat on the barstool next to Jenna.

"Did you sleep well?"

She nodded vigorously. "I can't tell you how great it felt to sleep in my own bed again."

Jenna smiled and put a hand on her forearm. "You know it's there as long as you want it right? This is still your house."

Elena smiled and wrapped her hands around the mug. "About that..." she started. "If I can get Jeremy to agree, I'd like to officially sell the house to you and Alaric."

"Elena-"

"I'm not planning on staying here for very long Jenna. I came back to say a real goodbye, tie up loose ends, get my stuff, and be on my way. You and Alaric have a life here; I don't. Not anymore."

Jenna closed her book and motioned for Elena to follow her into the living room. "So, now will you tell me about your travels? I've been dying to know what you've been up to other than the vague details you'd give me."

Elena grinned and set her mug onto the coffee table. "Where would you like to me start?" she asked.

"From the beginning of course."

As the day wore on, Elena and Jenna were still sitting in the living room. Jenna was hanging on her every word, fascinated by this new side of her niece. Elena was halfway through a particularly juicy story when the doorbell rang. Jenna groaned and hurried to answer it. Elena froze as she heard a familiar voice and got to her feet uneasily as she heard Jenna invite the guest in.

"Bonnie," she greeted the moment her friend stepped into view.

Bonnie stopped and stared at her with disbelief in her eyes. "Elena?"

Elena looked between her and her aunt. "Oh come on, don't pretend like Jenna didn't inform everyone that I was coming back to town."

The pair before her exchanged a weary glance and then broke into smiles. It was then that both girls moved across the room and embraced. "I've missed you so much. Don't you ever run away from me ever again. I'm so glad that you're home."

"You're not mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad," Bonnie said as she pulled away. "But right now I'm too happy to see you. I'll be mad at you later."

"You two catch up I'll-"

"Don't worry about it Jenna. Caroline demanded that I pick up Elena and meet her at the Grill for dinner. We'll catch up there. I just couldn't wait until then to see you," Bonnie said and pulled Elena in for another hug.

"Would you like to stay for lunch?" Jenna asked after looking at the clock. It was already one in the afternoon.

"I'd love to."

* * *

The day went by fast after that and before she knew it, Elena and Bonnie were walking towards the Grill. "So..." Bonnie started once they were out of the house. "Were there any guys?"

Elena had gone over the break up with Bonnie, in detail before they left. "A few," she answered, giving her friend a sly grin. "Not really worth talking about. It wasn't like a romantic comedy or anything."

Bonnie laughed. "You know Caroline's going to demand the full story of each encounter right? Every little dirty detail."

"I'm fully prepared for that conversation. Hey, do you think Jeremy will be working tonight?"

At that, the emotion drained from Bonnie's face and she cleared her throat. "I don't think so. He doesn't usually work Wednesday's."

Elena decided to let Bonnie's mood swing go for the moment. She had plenty of time to ask questions later. "Alright, um... Who else is still in town?"

"You know Caroline's going to want to tell you this right?" she asked and then caught onto what Elena meant. "Oh, uh I haven't seen Stefan since graduation. The last time I saw Damon was two years ago when he asked Tyler if he would like to stay at the boarding house."

"He did?"

"Something about not wanting to take care of the estate himself."

Elena snorted at that. He wouldn't have had to come back if he hadn't killed Zach. "Thanks." The rest of the walk was silent and Elena's thoughts were focused on whether or not she should ask if Damon was in town now. A part of her wanted to know so she could yell at him for not saying goodbye while the other part hoped he wasn't here so she wouldn't have to deal with her true feelings; whatever they were.

They were pulled out of their silence by a loud shriek as they approached the restaurant. Before Elena had fully gathered her wits, Caroline had launched herself towards Elena and they stumbled into the wall. "Do you know how much I worried? How much I missed you? Elena! Don't you dare leave without talking to me _ever_ again!" she warned and stepped back to look at the flustered brunette. "Come on," she demanded, grabbing hold of Elena's hand and then Bonnie's. "We have so much to discuss and so little time."

Elena smiled, at least one thing hadn't changed.

They grabbed a table and immediately Caroline started rattling off town gossip. Thankfully, she only repeated the most recent stuff, the stuff that Elena would need to know. Caroline and Matt were no longer together as he went to college on a football scholarship and she went to New York for a modeling career. "It didn't work out. One day they placed me behind the scenes and paid me to boss people around. Now I'm a runway coordinator."

"Figures," Elena retorted with a big smile.

"Bonnie here opened a New Age store in town and it's doing really well, right Bon?"

Bonnie nodded and smiled proudly. "Yeah, it is. I didn't know most people around here would be into that stuff. Guess I was wrong."

"What about Tyler?" Elena asked. She knew about the werewolf gene running in his family and him in the real world scared her a little bit.

"He's still in town. I'm not really sure what he does, probably lives off of his trust fund," Caroline said with a shrug. "The only time I see him is when I come back to visit my mom and he throws a party."

"Sounds like the same old Tyler," Elena agreed, a bit relieved that no one said anything about him being a little abnormal. When Bonnie didn't say anything or give a look to confirm any lingering suspicions, she took it as a good sign.

"I wouldn't say the same old Tyler," Caroline added, making Elena snap out of her thoughts. "He and your brother have become quite the best friends. It's cute really, how they bonded so well after the whole Vicki thing," Caroline finished with a shrug.

Elena let out a small breath of relief. That was better than what she thought her friend was going to say. "Anything else I should know?" she asked.

"Probably, but I want to hear about what you've been up to. Mostly about the guys I'm sure you hooked up with," Caroline said with a gleam in her eyes. "You ran away after having your heart broken, there has to be some good hookups and I'm dying to hear about them." After realizing what she had said, Caroline smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's alright," Elena said, playing with the straw in her drink. "Look, before I get into any of that, I want to sincerely apologize. I know you were all really looking forward to that road trip, and-"

Caroline shook her head and interrupted her. "Elena, it's fine. It's done and over with and despite what you may think, we understand why you left." She offered the brunette a small smile and inclined her head. "Now, tell me about those steamy encounters," she demanded.

Elena couldn't help but smile, glad that her friends were just as she remembered them. With that, she began telling them about her time away from Mystic Falls.

* * *

A dinner and several drinks later, the girls decided that it was time to call it a night. Bonnie had had the least amount to drink, offering Caroline a ride home. She would have the blonde drive her to her car in the morning. Elena chose to walk the relatively short distance to her house. She knew that she would be mostly sober by the time she got home. "You sure you're going to be okay?" Bonnie asked after shutting the passenger door on Caroline.

"I'm sure," Elena said and gave her a tight hug.

"If you ever leave without saying goodbye again, I might have to curse you."

Elena laughed and pulled away nodding. "You got it," she replied and began walking in the direction of her house.

She was very glad she had chosen to wear flats instead of heels. That would have been a disaster. Luckily, Elena wasn't stumbling very often. The fresh air was sobering her up little by little. At the halfway mark, Elena heard footsteps behind her. The last time that had happened, it was Damon trying to mess with her head. Despite her best efforts, a smile began to tug at her lips and she chose to ignore the sound.

Just to see if her suspicions were correct, Elena stopped abruptly and turned around. Instead of seeing Damon, there was a man dressed in black. Elena knew right away that this wasn't good. The man wasn't out for a late night walk. As she started to turn around to keep going, the man started moving, his steps large and quick. Elena could feel her heart hammering in her chest, the adrenaline allowing her to turn and begin to run. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far. The man grabbed her around thew waist and tried to pull her off the sidewalk. Her purse was still in Bonnie's car although her ID and debit card were in her back pocket. Since the man couldn't have known that, Elena was positive he wasn't after her money.

Elena struggled against him as he continued to drag her away from the sidewalk. It was hard to get a hit since he had her arms pinned to her side with one arm and the other was around her neck, his hand over her mouth. She knew screaming here would be useless since no one would be around to hear her. He had managed to bring her to a cluster of trees, shielding them from the rare passerby.

The moment he stopped moving, Elena bent her knees, making herself dead weight in his arms. The sudden movement caught him off guard and he dropped her. Elena landed face-down in the grass, her knees taking the brunt of the fall. She cried out and tried to push herself to her feet as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the man had recovered and was already reaching for her. She rolled onto her back and clawed at his face. Her nails raked across his cheek, tearing the skin open. To retaliate, he backhanded her with enough force to blur her vision.

She stilled, concentrating on restoring her vision before attempting to go after him again. The man took advantage of her stillness and reached for the hem of her shirt. The moment his fingers brushed the bare skin of her abdomen, Elena got her second wind, the reality of the situation having fully kicked in. She raised a knee up and caught him in the groin, earning another blow to the head. This time, Elena fought without stopping. She managed to press her thumbs against his eyes, earning a cry of anger from him.

"Bitch!" he hissed and Elena heard something click before feeling something cold against her throat. "One more move and I'll slit your throat."

Elena swallowed thickly and stared up at him, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. His other hand moved to the waistband of her jeans and Elena heard the button being unsnapped. It was then she figured it would be better to be dead. She felt the knife slip a little as he tried to undress her with one hand and she took advantage of his distraction. She pushed up with her hips and he fell to the side. Elena scrambled to her feet, grabbing the knife that he had dropped in surprise.

He rushed her like a quarterback, tackling them both to the ground. Elena screamed as her head bounced off of the ground, knocking the wind right out of her. The man gave a sharp cry and fell on top of her with a thud. The force of impact had left Elena with a bad case of double vision. It wasn't until she could see straight that she realized the man wasn't moving. A wave of nausea hit her as she pushed the man off of her. Her hands rose to her mouth in horror. The knife was lodged completely in his heart, blood had poured out of the wound and onto her clothes.

She pushed the body away and rolled onto her hands and knees, knowing she was about to lose control of her stomach. Instead of feeling nauseous, she felt pain course through her entire body. Her nails clawed at the dirt and she groaned in pain, trying not to cry out. Her vision blurred again and she gasped for breath. The pain eventually became too much for her to bear and Elena collapsed; unconscious before she hit the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: thank you all for the birthday wishes! It was an amazing day :)**

THREE

He could hear the muffled screams and the sounds of fighting. Above all, he could smell the blood. It was faint, but this close to the full moon, he could pick out the smallest trace of it. He had been about to turn around and start his walk back home when the smell hit him like a freight train. Tyler raised his nose to the air and inhaled deeply, grumbling to himself about how Jeremy was right to call him a dog on occasion. Cautiously, he made his way towards the smell and stopped short as another scent filled his nose.

It was somewhat familiar...

His entire body went rigid as he remembered who the scent belonged to. With that, he began moving quickly. The closer he got to the smell, the more he realized it was quiet. Too quiet. The muffled cries were no longer reaching his ears. He cursed himself, hoping that he got there in time and that she wasn't dead. Once again, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. There was a man lying awkwardly on his side and a woman lying on her stomach. He couldn't see her face, but he knew it was Elena Gilbert.

He went to her first and gently rolled her onto her back so that he could check for a pulse. A big breath of relief escaped him as he felt her heartbeat beneath his fingertips. There was a small cut on her cheek and the beginnings of a bruise just below it. He could even see the blood that had welled up in the hallow of her throat. He could only assume that it was from a knife. Tentatively, he scanned the rest of her with his eyes, stopping at the sight of her jeans. The button was open and the hem of her shirt was torn a little, not to mention the blood that stained the top.

Anger washed over him as he turned to look at the man. If Elena hadn't already killed him, he would have gladly torn him to shreds for laying a hand on her. He made sure Elena was okay before he left her alone to inspect the damage to the man. There was a knife embedded up to the hilt in his heart and long scratches on his face. His eyes were a bit more red, indicating that she had tried to gouge them out.

Getting to his feet, Tyler pulled out his phone and dialed Jeremy's number. "'Ello?" he answered, his voice filled with sleep.

"Jer, I need you to get out of bed and come help me."

"What did you do?" he asked, sounding very awake.

"I didn't do anything, but your sister did."

There was silence for a moment. "Elena's here?"

"Yes and it looks like her homecoming wasn't all that great."

"Tyler? What happened to my sister?" he asked, his voice now full of anger and worry. "Where are you?"

"I'm somewhere between your house and the Grill. Someone tried to attack her, but she put up one hell of a fight."

"Meaning?"

"He's dead." The flatness of Tyler's voice provoked a series of curses from the Gilbert boy.

"Alright, I'm on my way."

"Hurry up," Tyler added and hung up. He stared back and forth between the body and Elena, trying to figure out the best way to handle this.

* * *

Jeremy bolted from the car the moment he spotted Tyler and Elena. He was sitting in the grass with Elena in his lap, gently rocking her back and forth. "Is she okay?" he asked, his eyes jumping to the body at Tyler's side.

"I don't know. She doesn't look too bad."

"But?" Jeremy pressed as he slowed down, afraid of what he might find.

"I was going to start moving the body when she started..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged. "I don't know, she started withering around. Now she's tossing and turning and I'm pretty sure she has the chills."

Jeremy dropped down to his knees and took his sister from Tyler. Sure enough, he could see that she was covered in sweat. He could see the minimal amount of damage that the man had inflicted on her and the anger began to rise within him. He looked up at Tyler and then looked at the body. "She killed him?"

Tyler shrugged again. "I assume. There was no one else here when I arrived." He fell silent as Elena's back arched and she cried out in pain again. "Look, you get her home and I'll take care of this guy."

Jeremy nodded and stood, gathering his sister in his arms. Carefully, he laid her down in the backseat and began driving back to the boarding house. Once there, he moved her to the couch and wiped the hair from her face. She was soaked with sweat and Jeremy hated the helpless feeling he was experiencing. As he went to get a cool washcloth, a thought occurred. Once he placed the rag on her forehead, he dug for his phone and dialed the one person he knew would be able to help her; Damon Salvatore.

"What do you want, Gilbert?" As always, he was greeted with that cold and arrogant tone.

"Something happened and I need you to come back."

"Not a chance in hell. That's why I'm letting you and Lockwood live in my house- so I don't have to come back. Ever."

Jeremy nodded even though the man on the other line couldn't see him. Instead of explaining everything over the phone, he said the one thing he knew would get the vampire back without any trouble. "It's Elena."

* * *

Elena woke with a killer headache. She hadn't even opened her eyes and already the light in the room was causing her to squint. Not only did it feel as though someone had hit her upside the head with a cast iron skillet, but her body ached in the worst way possible. Her muscles were strained beyond belief. It was somewhat akin to having run a marathon without stopping. As she moved to try and get more comfortable, she groaned as nausea consumed her.

"No, no. Don't move," she heard Jeremy say from across the room.

"Jer?"

"Don't talk either," he added, wincing slightly at how rough her voice sounded. He sat on the coffee table as he watched her move despite the pain. He sighed, of course she wasn't going to listen. It was Elena; just as stubborn as when she left.

Elena, finally having got situated, forced her eyes to open. It took a moment for everything to stop spinning and settle into place. She blinked a few times and looked around the room. "Are we..." she started and swallowed around her dry throat. "Is this the boarding house?"

He nodded and held out a glass of water and a few pills. "Here, take this," he directed instead of explaining anything.

Carefully, she took the items from him and managed to get the pills down. After handing the glass back to him, she narrowed her eyes. "What are we doing here?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly take you back to Jenna's."

"Jenna's?"

"I don't live there anymore."

"Where do you..." her voice trailed off and her eyes went wide. "You live _here_? How is that possible?"

Before Jeremy could say anything, Tyler walked into the parlor. "Hey, you're awake. Feeling any better?"

Elena looked between the two boys. "I don't know," she muttered, raising her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "You're both living here?" She vaguely remembered Bonnie and Caroline saying something about Tyler living here, but they had said nothing about Jeremy. Last night may have been a little hazy, but she was sure about that.

"Elena, that's not important. Right now, I want you to tell me what you remember from last night."

Elena let go of her nose and settled back against the couch, leaning her head against the back cushion. She closed her eyes and tried to think about the events of last night. "Bonnie came over and took me to dinner at the Grill. Caroline met us there. We drank and we gossiped. Caroline did most of the talking."

She heard Tyler snicker, causing her eyes to open. He gave her an apologetic glance and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry," he mumbled and sat on the chair perpendicular to the couch.

Jeremy moved from the coffee table to the couch beside Elena. "What happened after you left?"

Elena sighed and let her eyes close again. The moment her lashes touched her cheeks, she felt a rush of anxiety course through her body. Her eyes clenched as the image of a man flashed in her mind. She inhaled sharply and opened her eyes. "Bonnie wasn't that drunk so she drove Caroline home. I walked and I remember halfway home I realized I was being followed. I turned around and saw a man, but I kept walking. I thought it was strange because I didn't have my purse, so he must have wanted..." her voice trailed off as her hand rose up to clamp over her mouth. "Oh God," she mumbled behind her hand. Despite the pain that coursed through her body, she got to her feet. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Elena-" Jeremy called after her, getting to his feet as she hurried by.

Elena made it to the powder room and stood in front of the mirror. She gripped the edge of the sink and supported herself. Her legs were quivering as was the rest of her body. As she started at her reflection, the rest of the events from the previous night played out in her head. She could feel each blow she received, reliving them as she reached up to touch the bruises covered with dry blood on her forehead and cheek. She tipped her head back and looked at the cut along her throat. As she angled her head back down, her vision blurred with unshed tears. Slowly, she let go of the sink and raised her hands up. They trembled slightly, flexing on their own accord as she saw in her mind's eye the moment she stabbed him.

"Oh God," she whispered to herself and took a few steps backwards until she hit the wall. Since her legs refused to hold her up anymore, she slid down and laid her head on top of her knees.

There was a light knock at the door before it opened to reveal Jeremy. "Hey," he said in a calm voice as he knelt in front of her, placing his hands around her elbows. "Elena-"

"I remember, Jer. I remember him trying to rape me and I remember killing him," she said, lifting her head to look at him.

He gave her a sympathetic smile and reached up to cup her face, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that cascaded down her cheek. "Tyler was the one who found you. He said nothing happened to you other than a few minor injuries. You killed him in self defense, alright? If you hadn't killed him, we would have."

"I still killed a man, Jer," she whispered.

"I know."

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I remember being overwhelmed with this intense pain shooting up and down my body. It was like my body was on fire. It was too much and I remember passing out because of it."

Jeremy thought about her words. "Maybe it was the sudden lack of adrenaline or the damage you did to your body trying to fight him off."

"I don't think so, Jer. It really hurt."

He nodded and pulled her away from the wall, bringing her to her feet. "I don't know what it could be, Elena. Let's just worry about it later. Come on, those pain killers should be kicking in soon. You need some rest."

Elena leaned on him and let him lead her to the parlor. She stopped at Tyler's chair. He got to his feet and smiled slightly. "Thank you, I guess," she said and moved to hug him.

"You're welcome," he replied and stroked her back in a comforting way.

"Come on, I'll take you-"

"I'm okay, Jer. I can find a room of my own." She waved to them both and trudged her way up the stairs. Once on the landing, she stopped, suddenly feeling lost. Her first instinct had been to go into Stefan's room, but the thought of him made her ache. Instead, she was faced with a hallway full of doors she had never opened before. Feeling the pills kick in, she made a snap decision and walked into the closest door on the opposite side of Stefan's room. She didn't even bother to look around before collapsing on top of the bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

Damon stopped just outside of the boarding house. He eyed the mansion wearily, remembering the last time he had been inside. He loathed the idea of coming back here; of setting foot in Mystic Falls ever again. However, Jeremy's plea for help had brought him back here. It didn't exactly sit well with him either, the fact that hearing _her _name again got him to drop everything and come to her rescue. It was as if the last four years hadn't happened. Nothing had changed.

Taking a deep breath, he headed inside, wondering for the thousandth time why Elena needed his help when she had Saint Stefan by her side.

The moment he entered the foyer, he was hit by her scent. It consumed him, burned his nostrils, and made him feel the pain of losing her. With a shake of the head, he shoved those feelings aside and composed himself. He was here to see the extent of the damage, make sure Elena was okay, and then he was going to get the hell away from this place. Again.

He peered into the foyer to see Jeremy sprawled out on the couch and Tyler sleeping awkwardly in the oversized chair Damon had always favored. They were both sleeping soundly and from the rhythm of their hearts, he knew that they wouldn't hear him at all. Standing still, he reached out with his heightened senses to see where Elena was. He knew she was here, the scent in his nose was fresh. A smirk took hold of his lips as he heard her heart beating from upstairs. His bedroom to be more precise. Out of all the rooms in the mansion, she had picked his. Grinning from ear-to-ear, he made his way upstairs.

His grin faded the moment he opened the door. The faint scent of blood hit him like a freight train. Worry washed over him immediately, making him rush to her side. He sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to wake her up. He was grateful that she was sleeping on her side, facing him, making it much easier to inspect her. The side of her face was swollen. Anger bubbled to the surface as he noticed the dark bruise on her cheek along with a deep cut. Gently, he took hold of her chin and tilted it upwards, his lips curling in rage as he saw the knife wound on her throat. He let go of her before his anger got the better of him and he hurt her.

His eyes traveled the parts of her body that were exposed, searching for other wounds. He found nothing until he saw her hands. There was dirt and blood beneath her fingertips. That brought a smile to her face. The blood meant that whoever had attacked her had been attacked themselves. Elena could put up one hell of a fight if she needed to. He only wished that whoever did this was already six feet under, because if Damon got a hold of them, he was going to do his worst.

The more he stared at her, the more he realized that leaving her side wouldn't be that simple. It had been hard enough the first time. He was sure that when she woke, the first thing out of her mouth would be to demand why he had left without saying goodbye. He wasn't sure that he was ready to answer her. That would mean admitting his true feelings. Even though they had acted like best friends, Elena had always been careful about what she did or said around him. It made him think on more than one occasion that she knew about his feelings, but didn't care.

He shook those thoughts away and stared at her hand. There was something else that wasn't quite right. After a few minutes of trying to figure out what it was, it dawned on him. His eyes went wide and his curiosity piqued. There was no wedding band. Not even an engagement ring anywhere in sight. _Interesting_, he thought. That answered the question of why Saint Stefan couldn't come to the rescue, but it still left him confused.

His eyes wandered back up to her face. She looked peaceful despite whatever it was that had happened. Unable to stop himself, Damon reached up and traced her jaw with his fingers. It was strange to see her again. It had always threw him for a loop that she could look exactly like the woman he despised most in the world, and yet he loved her. He loved her with every fiber of his being and it killed him to know that she didn't feel the same.

As his thumb brushed the cut on her cheek, Elena's body jerked. He removed his hand and waited patiently for her to wake up. He could tell from the beat of her heart that she was going to wake up. He felt a little guilty, but he was ready to face her. To postpone it anymore would be a bad idea. He smirked as she moved slightly before her eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times before fully registering that it really was Damon before her and not some sort of dream.

"Damon?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Elena," he replied, keeping his voice low. He had always imagined what it would be like to have her waking up in his bed. Of course, he had imagined it under different circumstances, but he liked it nonetheless.

"Everyone said you left town," she murmured as her eyes fought to stay closed. The pain killers Jeremy had given her were determined to lull her back to sleep.

"I came back."

She shook her head once. "Who called you?" she asked, knowing someone must have told him about what happened. She had been under the impression that he wasn't going to come back to Mystic Falls.

"Your brother. All he said was that you were in trouble." He wasn't going to bring up Stefan just yet.

"Did he tell you what happened?" she asked.

"No." He reached out and gently tipped her head up, taking note of the fact that her heart skipped a beat the moment he touched her. "What did happen?"

Elena drew in a shaky breath and he could see the tears forming in her eyes before she closed them. "I was walking home from the Grill when..." she stopped and swallowed hard. Damon's fist clenched, not liking where this was going. "Someone was following me. When I turned around, he came after me. I didn't..."

A few tears spilled from the corners of her eyes and without thinking, Damon reached for her, bringing her to his arms. He noticed the blood on her shirt then, but didn't comment. He could tell that it wasn't hers, but it still made him worry a little more. She laid her head on his shoulder and relaxed against him. She was still shaking, but it wasn't as bad as before. "No one's going to hurt you now, Elena. I promise. I'm here now, you're safe."

"I know," she breathed and swallowed around the lump in her throat. Silence fell between them as she composed herself enough so that she could talk. "I didn't have my purse so I knew he wasn't after my money."

Damon could feel the veins on his face bulging out, a sign that he was livid. "Did he..." he asked around his fangs as they began to drop.

She shook her head. "No. He started to, but I fought him. He... He pulled a knife out, but I still managed to get away." His arms tightened around her. He could tell there was more from the way her voice broke towards the end of that sentence. "I caught him off guard and started to crawl away. I grabbed the knife and...and..."

"And?" he prompted, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"I killed him," she whispered before breaking down into sobs as she remembered seeing the blood on her hands.

Damon went absolutely still. He had never expected her to say that. "You what?" he asked as a reflex. He had expected her to say that someone had found her and chased the guy off or that he had been arrested, but not this. Now he understood why Jeremy had said she was in trouble. She needed someone to help her cope, someone that could get through to her; someone that understood Elena almost as good as she knew herself. "Who found you?" he asked once her sobs had slowed almost to a stop.

"Tyler," she breathed, calming slightly at the feel of Damon's fingers running through her hair and down her back. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until he had gathered her into his arms. Even his scent was comforting and it put her at ease.

There wasn't much else to be said on the subject. He would have to ask the other two what had happened after that. "Do you want the bruises to go away?" he asked lightly, hoping she would understand what he was offering.

He felt her tense for a second as she made up her mind and then relaxed. "Yes."

Damon had considered offering to erase her memories, but he didn't want to compel her. He had told her once that he would never do that to her and he intended to keep his word. Slowly, Damon moved his hand to his mouth. He pricked the pad of his thumb on one of his fangs and then moved his hand back to her cheek. He wiped the blood across the cut, massaging it in lightly until he could feel the skin begin to heal beneath his fingertips. Then he moved to the cut on her neck, healing it in the same manner.

Elena sat there silently, feeling her skin heal itself. It was quite the odd sensation. However, she had expected him to offer her his blood the normal way. She was surprised to find that she was disappointed that he didn't. As his hand returned to the small of her back, Elena rubbed her other cheek against his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Do you want me to get some clothes for you?" he asked, needing a moment or two to himself.

She nodded and pulled back to look at him for the first time since telling him what had happened. "If you wouldn't mind. My stuff's still at Jenna's. I haven't unpacked yet," she admitted even though she hadn't unpacked on purpose.

His brow rose at that, but he didn't comment. "I'll get your stuff. Did you want me to bring everything over or would you like me to pick something out?" he asked, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

Elena shrugged and laid back on the bed. "You pick. I think I'm gonna go back to bed. Whatever pills Jer gave me earlier are making it hard to stay awake."

Damon's brow arched up again. "And what if I wanted to sleep when I got back, huh?"

"You have a room..." her voice trailed off as he smirked more and more. She cursed herself for not realizing it earlier. This _was_ his room. She should have known that before coming in here. She should have noticed the familiar scent on the pillows. "Well, I guess you'll have to share for a bit," she replied, turning to lie on her side, just as he had found her.

"Take all the time you need," he said softly and cupped her newly healed cheek. She smiled and let her eyes drift close. Damon waited until she was asleep before leaving her side. Tyler was on the last step when Damon entered the hallway. "Lockwood," he greeted.

"Damon?"

"Jeremy called me."

He nodded in the direction of Damon's room. "Did she tell you what happened?"

"Yes," he answered. "I want you to fill me in on the rest."

"Good, because there's something that not even Elena knows about and I don't know how to bring it up."

Damon's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the sound of that one bit. "Meaning?"

Tyler took a deep breath, bracing himself for Damon's reaction. "Judging from the state I found her in, I think Elena might have the werewolf gene."


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: so a few of you have asked about Stefan. I haven't decided if he'll come back, but if he does it'll be towards the end of the story and he will NOT be causing any trouble for Damon and Elena. As for Damon, yes, he did leave because Stefan was proposing. I couldn't see him sticking around to hear Elena gush about the wedding (even though there was never going to be one), so he left before he got hurt even more. At this point, he doesn't know that she left on her own. He'll find that out in the next couple of chapters.**

**And I started posting yet another new story for those of you that are interested. It's called Vices and Virtues. It's a slight combination of True Blood and TVD :)**

FIVE

Damon sat on the remains of a stone pillar from what was his old house. He had gone to drop off Elena's things and then decided to get out for a bit so that he could think about what Tyler had told him. He had brought his favorite bottle of scotch and was doing a good job at emptying it little by little as he lost himself in his thoughts. Tyler didn't have any facts to back up his theory other than the pain Elena had described the moment she had killed the man that had attacked her. It was driving him insane just to think about how in the world Elena would have gotten the wolf gene in her DNA. It didn't make any sense seeing that her family was full of killers and vampires.

With a heavy sigh, Damon raised the bottle to his lips and drank deeply, reveling in the feel of the alcohol burning its way down his throat. Whatever it was, it meant that he had some digging to do. He needed to find something concrete before he told Elena about it. Otherwise she wouldn't believe him. Until he found something, he would have to keep a close eye on her and observe her behavior. He remembered what it was like for Tyler that month before the change. As each day brought him closer to the full moon, he got more and more restless not to mention aggressive. Another sigh escaped his lips. The full moon had been three nights ago. That meant he would have to stick around Mystic Falls for at least a month. And if it turned out that Tyler was right, he knew he would be around for longer than that.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he muttered to himself as he downed the contents of his glass in one go.

* * *

When Elena opened her eyes again, she could see the sunlight peeking out from behind the various curtains in the room. She looked around for Damon, but he was nowhere in sight. However, there was a neatly folded pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. A light smile graced her lips as she pushed herself out of bed. She snorted as she picked up the pile. Of course he would have chosen one of her "sexy" sets of undergarments. Still laughing to herself, she walked into the bathroom and set the clothes on the edge of the counter before going to start the water. She needed a shower to wash away the last remnants of last night.

She shook her head as she realized he hadn't brought her any toiletries other than her toothbrush. But she did notice bottles of expensive bath products everywhere. As she waited for the water to heat up, her eyes landed on a large limestone tub tucked away on the other side of the room. She wondered how she had missed it before due to it's massive size. It looked inviting. That brought another smile to her face. She had never begged Damon as a bathtub kind of guy. Then again, it looked big enough for two...

Elena pushed those thoughts aside and stripped out of the clothes she had been wearing. She made a mental note to get rid of them, knowing that they had blood on them and would always be a reminder of what happened. Once she was under the hot spray of water, her body relaxed and she was able to put everything aside and just breathe.

When she was showered and changed, she began to head downstairs. She had left her previous outfit on the floor in the bathroom. She figured Damon would understand why and dispose of them for her. She heard someone tinkering around in the kitchen and smiled as she made her way there. Her smile faded at the sight of Jeremy.

"Hey," he said as he noticed her. "Are you feeling okay?" He paused and looked at her outfit. "I don't remember you having a change of clothes."

"Damon was here earlier. He went and got them for me," she explained and then answered his earlier question, "Yes, Jer, I'm okay."

"So you're not mad?"

She thought about it and then shook her head. "No," she answered.

"Good. I just thought it would be nice for you to have someone there for you."

"I had you and everyone else."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," he said.

Silence fell between them as Elena refused to comment. She knew she was still angry at Damon for deserting her like that. His being there for her now didn't change that. "Anyway, I want to ask you something before I head back over to Jenna's."

"You're going back over there?"

"Yes," she answered, giving him a confused look.

"You're more than welcome to stay here," he said and then smirked. "I'll have to ask Damon, but I don't think he'll mind."

"I'll think about it," she said. Unease filled her at the thought of staying here. She wasn't sure if that would bring up too many memories or if it was what she wanted.

"Sorry, what were you going to ask me about?" Jeremy asked, changing the subject.

"It's about the house."

"What about it?"

Elena bit her lip, trying to figure out the best way to phrase this. "I was thinking of selling it to Jenna and Alaric."

Jeremy's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that.

"It's not my house anymore, Jer. When I came back the other night I felt like a guest instead of the owner. Alaric and Jenna have a life here, I don't. Not anymore."

Jeremy slowly began to nod. "I know how you feel. Once the two of them got married, I felt like I didn't belong their either. I started to feel like it was their house and I was the guest as well."

"Although, after everything she did for us, I think it might be better if we just give the house to her."

"How?"

"It's paid off already and I have more than enough money thanks to my trust fund and the life insurance we got from Mom and Dad. It would be a good way to repay her for everything she did."

Jeremy nodded as he thought about it and shrugged. "But I've heard them talk before about it still feeling like her sister's house, not really her own."

Elena frowned at that. "I mentioned to her that I'd talk to you about selling and she seemed happy." She shrugged. "I guess that means you'll just have to come over one day and we'll talk about what we're going to do."

"You make it seem like you're not going to be in town for that long," Jeremy stated.

"I never planned on coming back for good, Jer. I'm here to say proper goodbyes, tie up loose ends, and then be on my way again."

Jeremy nodded, but Elena could see the hurt in his eyes. She sighed heavily and moved to put her arms around him. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Jeremy."

He put his arms around her and held her in silence. After her words sank in, he sighed. "You're here now. I guess that counts for something."

Elena pulled back and smiled up at him. "Thank you for everything yesterday, even calling Damon. Will you tell Tyler I said thank you to him too?"

"I will."

"Alright, I'm gonna go back to the house now," she said and then stopped as she reached the kitchen exit. "Um, so I didn't drive here..."

Jeremy grinned and pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Come on," he said and led her to his car, glad that his sister seemed back to normal even though he knew she was still dealing with the events of yesterday. As they got in the car, he noticed there wasn't a scratch on her skin. "You healed quick."

"I told you Damon was here earlier," she muttered without looking at him. She groaned and put her head in her hands. "What am I going to tell everyone? I can't just say that I decided to come over here without any warning because I didn't know you live here until I woke up."

"You could just tell them that I called you because I found out you were in town and I came and picked you up."

"Yeah, but they'll all be mad if I don't tell them what really happened."

"So tell them."

"You're so helpful."

Jeremy sighed as he pulled out onto the road. "You could tell them that you were attacked, but you don't have to tell them how it ended. They all know Tyler's a werewolf, all you have to tell them is that he was out for a run and was able to chase the guy off. Afterwards he brought you back to the boarding house and now I'm bringing you home."

"He turned?"

Jeremy nodded. "It happened two years ago. Car crash, his fault. Ergo, activating the curse and causing the change. If you want details, ask him."

Elena could tell that he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't comment on it. "Alright, I'll think I'll tell them what you said. It's past noon so I'm sure they've been trying to get a hold of me and are worried sick."

"Have they called you?"

"The battery's dead," she replied and shrugged as they pulled up the house. Bonnie's car was still parked by the curb as well as Caroline's. "You're coming in with me, right?"

"Of course," he said and met her around the car. "Come on, Sis. At least this way you're telling everyone the same story all at once."

Elena nodded and squared her shoulders. "Thanks," she whispered and followed Jeremy into the house, ready to relive her nightmare for what she hoped would be the last time.

* * *

Elena decided to go to bed early. Truthfully, she wanted to get away from everyone. Even if it was just Alaric and Jenna at the moment. After telling them what happened, everyone had been saying things to make her feel better, but it only reminded of her what really happened. Bonnie was the only one that seemed to sense there was more to the story, but Elena knew it was her powers. She figured she'd fill her friend in on the rest later. Jeremy had stuck around for a little bit before leaving to go to work at the Grill.

Elena laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling with her hands clasped on her stomach. All day she had been thinking of Damon and what they needed to talk about. The fact that he hadn't stuck around after he had dropped her things off didn't sit well with her. It made her remember how it felt when he hadn't shown up at the Grill four years ago. She couldn't stand the idea of him leaving a second time without saying goodbye. She also knew that was how people had felt about her leaving, but it didn't matter. If she wanted answers, she was just going to have to confront him.

She sighed heavily and let her eyes drift close. She would do it some other night, tonight, she was beyond exhausted. Turning to lie on her side, Elena wrapped her arms around the pillow she was laying on and gave in to the exhaustion that was calling her name.


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: so here you are, the beginnings of pure Delena, just as I promised. Didn't take too long I hope :)**

SIX

Damon returned early the next morning, half hoping that Elena was still at the boarding house, half hoping that she wasn't. He had spent the rest of the day as far away from Mystic Falls as he could. He knew that Elena needed him, but he wasn't sure what he could do for her. He had killed plenty, but he wasn't exactly remorseful about it. He had eternity, guilt wasn't something he wanted to live with. The only guilt he ever felt was always directly related to Elena.

With a heavy sigh, Damon returned to the boarding house for the second day in a row before the sun was even thinking about making an appearance. This time, he only heard two heartbeats. He could still smell her, the scent getting stronger and stronger as he made his way upstairs, but it wasn't fresh. The moment he walked into his room, he could smell stale blood mixed with Elena's scent. He followed it to the bathroom and saw a heap of clothes on the floor. It was the outfit she had had on earlier, the outfit with her attackers blood. His lip curled as he picked it up. That man was very lucky that Elena was the one to kill him.

After disposing of her clothes, figuring that was why she had left them behind, he returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed. He groaned as her scent invaded his senses, making him feel the emotions he had been running from for the past four years. He remembered how hard it had been to leave her without saying goodbye. He knew it would hurt her, but he couldn't stomach the idea. He had never planned on saying goodbye to her.

Damon placed his hands over his face and slowly brought them down in frustration. He should have gone over there earlier to see how she was doing. He had a feeling that she would have nightmares and he wanted to be able to ease her pain. Then again, he wasn't so sure she would let him inside her head. His eyes narrowed at that. He didn't remember if she had been wearing her vervain locket or not.

Not even bothering to remove his shoes, Damon let his eyes close. He didn't need sleep, but he wanted some time away from his thoughts. All day he had gone over "what-if" scenarios where Jeremy's phone call had led to Elena's funeral. He shuddered and turned to lie on his side. Feeling like a stalker, he buried his face in the pillow and inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent of Elena. Oddly enough, it was just what he needed to block out his thoughts and drift off to sleep.

* * *

Tyler paced the hallway in front of Damon's door. It was almost noon and the vampire was _still_ sleeping. If the circumstances were different, he would have had a slew of jokes for when he came out of the room. As it was, Tyler wanted to see if Damon believed him about his theory on whether or not Elena was a werewolf. He wanted to be wrong, but the more he went over the situation in his head, it was the only thing that made sense. In a world full of the supernatural, it just seemed like the right conclusion.

Tyler stopped the moment the door opened and Damon stepped outside of his room. "You're alive," he said, grimacing as Damon smirked. "You know what I mean."

"What do you want Lockwood?" he asked as he continued to move down the stairs.

"To talk about Elena."

Damon sighed. He had gotten plenty of sleep, but he wasn't ready to talk about this just yet. Not to mention the fact that waking up to a bed that smelled like her had already thrown off his whole day. "What is there to talk about?" he asked as he stopped in front of the liquor cart which was now fully restocked with his favorites.

Tyler just rolled his eyes. "Damon, I know what I saw. What she was going through was exactly what I went through when I activated the curse."

"She killed someone," Damon said, turning around to look at him. "Of course she had a violent reaction. Elena isn't like us; she wasn't born to do bad."

Tyler snorted. "You can take Elena off of that pedestal. If you only knew the amount of shit that girl has done you wouldn't think so highly of her."

Damon's brow rose at that, his eyes full of doubt.

"Yeah, I agree, she's inherently good, but she's not all that innocent."

"Yeah, but killing?"

This time Tyler growled in frustration. "Fine, don't believe me. All I ask is that you do some digging and see what you come up with. And I suggest that you keep a close eye on her until the next full moon."

"Why do I have to do it? You and everyone else in this town can watch her."

Tyler rolled his eyes again as the vampire poured himself another glass. "You and I both know that you're not going anywhere as long as she's back in your life. You both might be hiding from your feelings, but you definitely didn't hide anything from the rest of us." Tyler smirked as Damon narrowed his eyes, but didn't comment. "Anyway, Jer said he asked her to think about staying here. He said he would ask you about it first."

"He hasn't said anything."

"You haven't been back since getting Elena's things," Tyler pointed out.

"Still."

"Either way, I think you should ask her. It'll be easier to keep an eye on her for all of us." He looked down at his watch and then at Damon. "I'm going to work, just please, think about it and don't think this is me trying to start something."

"We'll see," Damon replied, watching Tyler leave as he finished his drink. After setting the glass down on the cart, Damon sighed and rushed upstairs for his keys. Tyler was right, he was going to be in town for awhile; he might as well do some research. With that, he headed to City Hall.

* * *

"Jer?" Elena called out softly from the passenger seat.

"Yeah?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Why are you taking me to the boarding house?"

"Because I need to get changed for work. I can drop you off on my way, but I don't want to go back and forth," he answered. They had spent more time at the graveyard then either of them had planned on.

"Okay," she muttered and looked out her window.

"Do you have some aversion to the boarding house?" he asked.

"Not exactly," she said softly. She sighed and turned to look at him. She smiled at the sight of him behind the wheel despite the sadness that crept in. When Elena had left, Jeremy still didn't even have his permit. Now he had a car. He grew up and she had missed it.

"What?" he asked when he noticed her staring. He did a double take as he noticed the tears gathering in her eyes. "Elena?"

"I'm okay, Jer," she assured him. "It's just that you grew up on me and I'm sorry I missed it."

Jeremy gave a slight smile and reached over to take her hand. "You're here now, alright?"

"I know, but-"

"No buts," he interrupted. "Yes, I was mad when I read your note, but I honestly thought Stefan had turned you and you had run off together. Finding out you're still human... I like that much better."

She shot him a confused look.

"You wouldn't let me turn. It would be so unfair if you did."

Elena couldn't help but smile brightly before she reached over to shove his shoulder slightly. "Shut up and drive, will you?"

Jeremy grinned from ear-to-ear as they drove the rest of the short distance to the boarding house. After parking in front of the house, he dug for his key and made his way to the front door. After stepping inside the foyer he realized that Elena wasn't behind him. He peered around the door to see her staring up at the mansion. "Elena?"

"I'm coming," she said, giving one last look at the exterior before following Jeremy inside. "How long will it take you to get ready?"

"I just have to take a quick shower, get into my uniform, and then we can go."

She nodded and watched him hurry up the stairs. Alone, Elena simply stood there, staring at the decor she had seen a hundred times before. It was strange, being back here. The other day she hadn't been herself. Standing here now, she felt right at home. It was strange considering she didn't feel that way in her own house. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath before moving towards the massive library.

By the time she had settled on a book, Jeremy had returned downstairs. "Ready?" he asked, finding her curled up on the couch with a book.

She looked up at him and shook her head briefly. "You know what, I think I'm going to stay here for a bit."

"You sure?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'll see you later."

"Alright," he said, grinning widely as he slowly made his way to the door. Elena sighed as she heard him leave. She hadn't felt a sense of being home in four years and she was not ready to leave just yet. A smile graced her lips as she opened the book and began to read.

* * *

And that was how Damon found her a few hours later. She was lying down on the couch, still reading. Her head popped up when she felt his presence and gave him a slight smile before closing the book. "I didn't hear you come in," she said as she sat up.

"I know," he answered, making his way to the liquor cart. He had sensed that she was inside and come in silently to see why she was there.

She watched as he poured a hefty glass of his favorite scotch, a grin slowly taking hold of her lips. "You know, I've seen you go without blood, but I really don't think you would survive if you didn't have your liquor."

He paused with his glass to his lips and looked at her over the rim. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought about it. "Hopefully we'll never have to find that out," he said and drained the glass.

They were silent for a moment as Damon began to pour himself another glass. Elena's smile faded as she realized now would be a good a time as any to bring up the sore subject between them. "You left."

She saw the way his body went rigid, but he kept his eyes averted from hers. "I had things to attend to."

"What things were so important that you had to leave without saying goodbye?" she asked, getting to her feet, folding her arms over her chest.

His eyes moved to hers and narrowed. "I was under the impression that you left without saying goodbye as well."

"I left notes," she argued weakly to which he snorted and raised his glass to his lips. "And I did try to say goodbye to you."

Damon nearly choked on his drink, setting the glass down a little too hard.

"I went home, wrote notes, got my things, and came straight here. I wanted to say goodbye to you, but you were already gone. Nothing was missing, but I could tell that you weren't here." She could feel tears burning her eyes. "I want to know why you didn't say goodbye," she whispered.

He stared at her, watching as her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears.

"I wanted you there to celebrate with me. I wanted my best friend with me on one of the greatest days of my life."

Damon's lip curled at that, remembering the ring his brother had showed him. His eyes dropped down to her hand, noticing for the second time that she wasn't wearing a single ring.

Elena saw his eyes drop to her hands. As those piercing blue eyes slowly rose up to meet hers again, she finally understood. "Oh," she breathed. "You left because Stefan was going to propose..."

Knowing it was no good to lie to her, he inclined his head. "How is Stefan?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since graduation. And if you hadn't run off I would have been able to tell you that I didn't accept his proposal."

Curiosity had words flowing from his lips before he could help himself. "Why did you say no?"

"He said forever," she answered, looking down. "Apparently we both have very different definitions of that word." She sighed and looked back up at him. "I loved him; I really did, but we weren't meant for each other." When Damon didn't say anything, Elena continued, taking another step closer to him. "He was constantly treating me like I was made of porcelain and I hated that. He was so negative about everything and he was always thinking about my 'safety'."

Damon couldn't help but smirk at the distaste she put into her voice while describing this to him. He had always told her that Stefan wasn't right for her. Despite his age, Stefan was very much a boy and Elena had always needed a man.

"I was a different person after my parents died; I know that. I was no longer the outgoing cheerleader who lived life on the edge. Instead I turned into the girl who sat on the sidelines and watched everyone else have fun. I guess that's what drew me to Stefan. He was safe."

Inwardly, Damon snorted at that. Stefan was the furthest thing from safe. He had always been unstable drinking animal blood. He knew his little brother had control issues and being around Elena certainly hadn't helped things. Damon snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed her taking a few more steps towards him.

"But as time went on, I realized that I didn't want to watch, I wanted to participate in life again. I wanted to be _me _again. Every time I tried, he would do something to bring the other Elena back. That night I realized that I just couldn't do it anymore."

"But you said yes when you thought he wanted to turn you," Damon pointed out.

Her cheeks flushed red as she nodded briefly. "I had been thinking about it, but to be honest, I don't know why I said yes." And that was the complete truth. She really did have no idea why she had agreed when she thought Stefan was asking her to turn.

"You don't know?" he asked, sensing there was more to her explanation.

"I had my reasons," she replied, giving him a light smile.

They fell into silence for a moment as they stared at each other. Damon made the first move by moving to stand beside the cart, now an arms length away from her. "What are you trying to say, Elena?" he asked, daring her to admit her feelings first. He could see it in her eyes when she looked at him that she had an ulterior motive for continuing to approach him.

"I'm saying that I had to run away to find the old Elena. Somewhere along the way I realized that she was always there, but she only came out whenever you were around. You didn't treat me like a porcelain doll, Damon. You treated me like an equal. I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed you. Every time something happened I would be so excited until I went to tell someone and realized the only one I wanted to tell was you," she said, tears burning her eyes again. "But you weren't there."

"You could have called."

"The phone works both ways."

He didn't say anything because she was right. He could have sought her out on his own. He could have used his resources to find out that she wasn't with Stefan anymore. He could have been with her this whole time.

"I was scared then," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Scared of what?"

"Of you."

Damon's eyes narrowed, waiting for her to explain that one. However, after a long bout of silence, he realized she wasn't going to say anything else. Confusion took hold as she started to smile and took half a step closer. "What?" he asked.

"I'm not afraid anymore," she breathed before closing the distance between them. In the blink of an eye, she cupped his cheeks and lowered his lips down to hers.


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: ugh, sorry guys. School/life is getting in the way and I haven't really been able/in the mood to write lately... And the fact that there's only two episodes left doesn't help either :( Btw, I'm still going out of my mind over that little cliffhanger...**

SEVEN

Damon lay on his side, propped up on one elbow, watching Elena sleep by his side. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her, unable to believe that she was in his bed twice in the past forty-eight hours. Four years ago, he was lucky if she would even come into his room or stand in the door way. He grinned as she moved a little, turning her body towards him even more. He reached over with his free hand and brushed the hair out of her face. His hand rested on her cheek, his thumb gently swiping across her lips. For once, he didn't have to feel guilty about it. She was _his_ now. Just as she should have been all along.

_After a little over an hour of sitting on the couch, leaning against one another, Damon could sense that she was beginning to fall asleep and moved her upstairs. The moment she felt his luxurious mattress beneath her, her eyes opened and she looked at him. "I should go home."_

_ "No, sleep here tonight," Damon insisted, smirking at the pout on her lips. His smirk faded as he thought about Tyler's suggestion that she move in. "You should stay here."_

_ Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "I am staying here. You won't drive me home, remember?"_

_ Damon smiled and shook his head. "No, I meant really stay here. As in move in. You could even stay here."_

_ "Here? In your room?" Damon nodded slowly, seeing the panic in her eyes. Elena swallowed hard and then shook her head briefly. "That would be moving too fast."_

_ "Elena-"_

_ "No," she interrupted. "I don't even know how long I'm staying in Mystic Falls. My visit was supposed to be a short one."_

_ "And now?"_

_ "I don't know," she answered, a hint of frustration in her voice. She sighed heavily after making a snap decision, knowing Damon wouldn't be happy until she agreed. "Alright, I'll move in, but I want my own room."_

_ Damon sighed in defeat. Then again, she was here now. In his bed. _Again_. "So why aren't you afraid of me anymore?" he asked, seeing as how she seemed more awake now._

_ "I never could understand how the man that terrorized my friends and family, hurt people very close to me, could wind up being the thing that I treasured most," she answered and reached out to touch his face. "I wasn't afraid afraid of you. I was afraid of the fact that we would be good together. I always knew that it could work, I just wasn't ready for you."_

_ "You didn't even want to try?" he asked out of curiosity._

_ "I thought about it. A lot," she said and swiped her thumb across his lips. "But I couldn't break up with Stefan for the sole purpose of being with you. It just seemed a little too much like a Katherine thing to do and I just couldn't." She cleared her throat and adjusted her body so that she was lying as close to Damon as she could. "But I'm over him now. In fact, it only took me a few months to get over him, but I never got over you."_

_ This time, Damon was the one to move in to initiate the kiss. His lips closed over hers for a moment before his tongue brushed against her lips, asking for entry. They parted and her tongue darted out to greet his. Damon's hand moved to her waist, gripping just enough to anchor their bodies. Elena's hand rested on his shoulder, clenching the material of his shirt throughout the kiss._

_ Mutually, they ended the kiss but remained that close with their forehead's touching. "So what now?" Damon asked._

_ "What do you want?" she asked quietly._

_ "I want you," he replied, his thumb tracing abstract patterns on the patch of skin that had been exposed from her shirt riding up. "What do you want?"_

_ Elena's lips quirked into a half smile, half smirk. "I want you too," she answered, moving her hand from his shoulder up to his face. "I want all of you, Damon. I want something real; something that will last."_

_ Damon searched her eyes, not quite sure what exactly she meant by that, but he nodded anyway. "So we're doing this?"_

_ "Yes," she replied and tilted her head up enough to kiss him briefly. "We're doing this," she added and moved to place her head on his chest and wrap her arms around his waist._

And that was how she had stayed until she fell asleep. She had moved since then, but she had always stayed close to him. Looking down at her now, Damon still couldn't believe that they were official. She meant the world to him and he was determined to do this right. With that, he moved his lips to her forehead and closed his eyes to join her in sleep.

* * *

Elena leaned against the door frame of Jeremy's room, feeling strange at the empty sight. His bed was there as were the other big pieces of furniture, but everything that had made the room his was gone. There wasn't a photograph anywhere; not a single piece of art. Just blank walls and distant memories. Elena sniffled because this was a reminder of how much things had changed.

Someone cleared their throat and Elena turned to see Jeremy smiling at her. "Yeah, I have a hard time looking in there too. It just seems weird that it's a guest room now. What was even stranger was looking into your room."

Elena gave a weary smile and moved back to close the door. "How was work?"

He shrugged. "Damon tells me you're moving in," he said with a grin.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "What _else_ did Damon tell you?"

"Nothing. Just that I should help you bring your things over tonight so that you can get settled."

"You don't think it would be a little harsh to sell the house and move out in the same night?" Elena questioned.

Jeremy shook his head. "They'll understand. Like I said Elena, I haven't called this my home in a very long time. I know you just came back, but things are different now."

"Yeah, yeah, so I've been told," she said, moving to her old room. They both paused outside of it. After a moment of getting lost in nostalgia, Elena cleared her throat and headed inside. "Come on, we've got a little bit of time before they come home and start making dinner. It's not like I have that much to move anyway."

"How long do you think you'll be in town?" Jeremy asked as Elena started putting things on the bed for them to sort through.

"I don't know. I told the hospital I would only be gone for a couple of weeks at the most."

"But?" he asked, sensing that there was indeed going to be a but.

"But it could be longer," she answered, giving him a smile that he remembered meant something else was going on; something she wasn't ready to talk about just yet. She shrugged and held up the picture of her parents. "It's not like I've been there very long."

"What about the stuff you have here?"

"If I want it, I'll go get it," she answered.

Jeremy watched as she went through her things, reliving memories that she had locked away. "I'll go hunt down some boxes," he said, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

By the time Jenna and Alaric arrived at home, Elena was just finishing going through her things. She had a total of two boxes, mostly pictures, that she had decided to take with her. The rest she was going to leave here so that Jenna could either donate it or keep it if she wanted. Just as Elena loaded her stuff into Jeremy's car, Alaric and Jenna were getting out of theirs.

"What's going on?" Jenna asked, looking between her niece and nephew.

"I'm going to stay at the boarding house," Elena answered. She didn't want to have this conversation on the lawn, but she had to tell Jenna something. Before her aunt could say anything else, Elena spoke again. "We have a lot to talk about and I don't want to do it out here."

Jenna nodded cautiously and followed them into the house. They helped put away the groceries that they had stopped at the store for and then let Alaric start the cooking while the other three sat in the living room to talk. "Why in the world are you moving to the boarding house?" Jenna asked. "It's bad enough that Jeremy's gone, but-"

"I'm moving there for my own reasons," Elena said and elbowed her brother when he started to smirk. "One of them is the same as why Jer moved out. This isn't my home anymore." Fear flashed in Jenna's eyes and Elena moved to sit beside her. "It has nothing to do with you and Ric living here. It's just that I've grown up and ever since Mom and Dad died I..." She paused and shrugged. "It never really felt like home after that."

"And the boarding house does?"

Elena nodded. "It has for a long time now."

"Did Stefan come home?" Jenna asked, sadness in her eyes as she looked at Elena. "Is that one of the other reasons you're staying there?"

"No," Elena said, glaring at Jeremy who was smiling behind his hand.

"Wrong brother," Jeremy said.

"_Damon_?" Alaric and Jenna said at the same time in the same tone.

Elena got to her feet and looked at the other two. "Yes and no, but that's not what I want to talk about right now."

"But it's _Damon_," Jenna insisted.

"Things have changed since the last time I've seen him," Elena answered. "Anyway, Jer and I want to talk to you both about selling the house."

"You what?"

"To you two. We're not living here, but you two are. It should be in your name."

Jenna's eyes went wide at that and so did Alaric's. "You would do that?"

Jeremy and Elena nodded. "Like she said earlier, her and I have plenty of money and the house is already paid off. All we have to do is have you two sign the deed and it's yours. No mortgage, nothing."

"Consider it a belated wedding present," Elena added.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Jenna leapt out of her seat and threw her arms around Elena. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"I could have the papers drawn up tomorrow and..." as Jenna continued to ramble excitedly and hug Jeremy, Alaric came into the living room to hug her as well.

"Thank you," he said quietly. She nodded and watched the couple embrace in what would soon be their officially living room.

* * *

"Damon, you're going to have to let me stay in one of the other rooms," Elena said as she stood in the hallway, facing him. She had opened five rooms already and each one had something so important that it couldn't be moved. "I could always move back in with Jenna," she added.

He frowned for a brief moment before giving her that infamous smirk. "Do you really have to stay in your own room? Why don't we just cut to the chase and skip straight to the part where you start sleeping in my room every night? We all know it's going to happen eventually, so why waste time?"

He was right. He knew it, she knew it. But Elena didn't want to rush things. She wanted to take things slow and if they were sharing a bed from the beginning, "slow" was definitely not going to happen. "Damon, I would like my own room. Please."

The grin on his face disappeared and he sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. Good to know that the last four years haven't made you any less stubborn," he mumbled before opening a door that was between his old room and Stefan's.

Elena peered inside and then nodded her approval. "Thank you."

"Uh huh," was all he said in response. "I think just for this, you're not allowed in my room for a whole week."

Elena smirked as she picked up the boxes and carried them into her new room. She set them on the bed and looked at Damon who was now lounging on the door frame. "I don't know if that's really a punishment," she said, slowly making her way towards him. "For me anyway."

He glared at her for all of two seconds before he breaking into another grin. "I didn't say anything about your room being off limits," he said before pinning her between his body and the wall next to the door.

The impact caused the small vanity to shake and something fell off. Elena reached out to grab it and caught it in the time it took Damon to register that anything was wrong. His body went tense as she put the item back onto the table and looked up at him. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the worry in his eyes.

"You caught that," he stated.

She shrugged. "I don't want to break anything." He pulled away from her and she pouted. "Seriously Damon, what's wrong?"

He shook his head and took her hands in his. "Nothing," he breathed and pulled her close. "Nothing's wrong." But Elena didn't believe him.


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

Damon came into the Boarding House late the next night. He had been gone all day running errands. He felt somewhat bad for disappearing on Elena, but he needed a day to come to terms with the fact that Lockwood was right after all. Between research and drinking, Damon realized how hungry he was and the fact that he hadn't eaten since coming back to Mystic Falls. It had been awhile since he had gone this long without feeding and he was surprised he hadn't eaten half the town yet. With that in mind, he had spent the better part of his day collecting blood bags so he could stock up.

Just as he finished putting the contraband into the basement freezer, his sensitive hearing picked up noises from upstairs. He closed the lid and hurried upstairs to focus on the sounds. Almost immediately he recognized Elena's voice and she sounded distressed. He went into her room and stopped just inside as he watched her toss and turn. Her body was covered in sweat as she lay tangled in the sheets. He couldn't exactly make out what she was saying, but he knew it was in relation to her attack.

Wasting no more time, he moved to the bed and picked her up. Gently, he carried her to his room and laid her down on his bed. He laid down beside her and pulled her to him. He stroked her cheek after brushing the hair out of her face and stared down at her. She had already calmed down a little and it made him feel a little more at ease. As he continued to stare at her, he made a split decision and slipped inside her mind. The moment he got inside, he was a little angry at the lack of vervain, but the anger vanished as the scene unfolded in front of him.

_Elena was on the ground as some guy was on top of her. He was lifting her shirt up and Damon felt pure rage rise to the surface of his emotions. As he took a step forward, Elena brought her knee up hard and caught him in the groin. It was enough to shake him, but not enough to keep him down. In the next instant, he had a knife pressed against the hollow of her throat and Damon couldn't stand to see any more and yet he found himself unable to move. He had always known Elena was more than capable of fighting back, but to actually see it was rooting him to the ground._

_ The guy continued to undress her with one hand while the other held the knife to her throat. Elena remained still, but Damon could see the wheels turning in her brain from where he stood. At the same moment, they saw the knife slip and it gave Elena enough leeway to push up with her body and knock him off course. Damon watched as she scrambled to her feet, taking the knife with her. Her getaway was short lived as he rushed at her and tackled her to the ground again._

_ It was then that Damon noticed the blood and the way the man's body slumped over Elena's. She pushed him off of her and Damon saw the knife sticking out of the man's chest. He was dead. Elena really had killed him. His eyes followed her movements as she got to her hands and knees, her nails digging into the dirt. Her body shook violently and he could practically feel the pain along with her._

_ Damon made his way to her and knelt in front of her. He reached down and lifted her chin so that he could see her and by the time she opened her eyes, he had shifted the reality of her dream. This time, they were in Bree's bar, but no one else was around. Elena looked around, bewildered, and slowly let her gaze settle on him again. "Damon?"_

_ "Elena."_

_ "Where... Is this Bree's bar?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ Elena simply stared at him in confusion. "But I..." she started and then realization kicked in. "Oh. I'm still dreaming."_

_ "Yes," he answered. "I heard you having a nightmare and-"_

_ "And you decided to jump in and see what it was for yourself?" she snapped._

_ "If you had been wearing vervain-"_

_ "Can you wake me up now?" she asked, interrupting him. She knew she was being snippy, but she was still trying to get over the replay of the attack. "Please?" she added in that soft voice she knew Damon couldn't refuse._

Damon pulled out of her mind and then proceeded to wake Elena up as well. Her eyes blinked open and she scooted away from Damon enough so that she could look at him. "Thank you," she said and moved to lie on her back. Her body was glistening with sweat and he could hear her heart working over time still.

"So, where is your vervain?" he asked in a nicer voice.

"I left the necklace in Stefan's room the night I left. I was going to take it with me, but I realized how much it would make me remember and I couldn't do it."

"Elena-"

"I took some vervain from the basement," she interrupted. "I planted it in a little pot and took it with me wherever I went. That way, I always had some to put in my morning coffee or whatever." She sighed and closed her eyes. "My plant's probably dead now."

"Have you had any on you since coming back?"

Elena bit her lip, but remained silent, giving him his answer.

"Elena, you know better than anyone that being without vervain is dangerous. Especially here."

She turned her head to glare at him. "The vervain wouldn't have helped me that night, would it?" she spat.

Damon cursed himself for that one and watched as her eyes glazed over with tears. Quickly, he sat up and gathered in his lap so that he could hold her close. "I'm sorry. I just meant-"

"It's okay," she mumbled into his shirt. "You saw what happened, right?"

He nodded and moved her back enough so that he could cup her face. "If you want, I can make sure you don't have that nightmare again."

She gave a slight nod and closed her eyes as his lips descended on hers. Quickly, their anger dissolved and Elena began to calm down. Her fingers curled around the material of his shirt to pull him closer as his hands slid into her hair. Elena shifted her body so that she was straddling him and then found herself pushing backwards so that Damon was lying beneath her. She laid on his chest and broke the kiss. She smiled down at him and crossed her arms over his chest so she could rest her chin on them. He tucked one arm behind his head as the other went to the small of her back.

"Where were you all day?" she asked.

"If I'm going to be in town for awhile, I'm going to need something to eat."

"And that took you all day?"

"Hey, it's not like my meals have their own section at the grocery store," he quipped, smirking up at her. "And no, I was doing some research before then."

"Research on what?"

He gave a mock shrug, trying to keep the facade of nonchalant. "I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Elena pouted and looked around before smiling back down at him. "I thought I was banned from your room for a week?"

"If you hadn't been having a nightmare, you wouldn't be in here," he said and then narrowed his eyes at her in mock shock. "That was your plan all along wasn't it?"

"Yes," she said, nodding with a grin. "I specifically had the nightmare just so you could whisk me away to your room and make it all better."

Damon rolled so that he was on top of her. He stroked her face and studied her. "If you had just agreed to stay in here from the start you wouldn't have to go through such elaborate schemes."

The smile on Elena's face slowly disappeared and she sighed slightly. "Damon-"

"I really need to know why you just won't stay in here. I get that you need your own space, but I want you next to me when I sleep at night. I want to wake up to you every morning." He paused to shake his head. "I spent four years without you and two years before that I had to watch you with Stefan. I've loved you since I first laid eyes on you even if I didn't realize that until later."

Elena's heart skipped a beat. He loved her. Of course she knew it was true, but to hear it aloud for the first time was...spectacular. Elena felt the corners of her lips curving into a semi-smile and she raised her hands up to cup his face. "I know we've been waiting for this for so long, but I still want to take things slow. I want us to be the friends that we were before, I want us to be lovers, but I want it to happen at a normal pace. I don't want to rush things and it seems that being in the same bed will make it harder to make that possible."

Damon chuckled at that, especially when she narrowed her eyes at him. "Normal? Elena, nothing about us is normal. I'm a vampire and you're a supernatural entity. Hell, you're the carbon copy of the woman who turned me and my brother. You even dated him first. Your mother is a vampire, your father is someone you thought was your uncle and your brother is actually your cousin. Shall I go on?"

Elena's eyes narrowed again and she let out a sigh of frustration. "No," she muttered weakly and moved her hands to rest on his shoulders. "But-"

"But what, Elena?" he countered, tired of her doubts and fears getting in the way. "I'm not going to hurt you; I never have and I never will. I want this to work and I know you want that too, but I need to know if the reason for your resistance is because of my nature. The reason you left Stefan was because you were going to grow old around him and it'll be the same thing around me. You told him that you would turn, but I need to know that that really is an option for you because if it's not, then we're both wasting our time."

Silence fell around them as everything sunk in. Elena bit her lip as she contemplated whether it was best to follow her head or her heart. In the end, she went with her heart; it had always led her to Damon anyway, she figured it wouldn't steer her wrong now. With that, she lifted her head and captured his lips with hers. Her hands cupped his jaw as she kissed him deeply. Immediately, he kissed her back, his body showing her how much he agreed with her decision. Elena bent her knees, cradling his body between her thighs. They both groaned as their bodies slid closer together, touching in all the right places.

Damon moved his lips to her ear. "I need to hear you say it," he whispered, nipping at her lobe.

"I'll move into your room," she panted. "I want this to work."

His response was to kiss her again. He would do his best to respect her wishes and take things slow, but he wasn't sure how "slow" she was talking about. His control wasn't _that_ good. He broke the kiss with that thought in mind and rolled onto his back. His arm was around her waist, placing her half on his side and half on the bed. Her head rested on his chest and her hand on his abdomen. They lay there silently until they both drifted off to sleep with smiles on both their faces.


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: Hey guys! Sorry, I know this took FOREVER, but I kind of got stuck with where to go. I think I have it now though. It didn't help that the week off between classes that I usually have didn't happen this time around. These classes have an insane amount of work, so posts might be few and far between, but they will be coming. I plan on alternating chapters between this and Fighting Fate until both stories are complete before I start doing anything else.**

**So...who else is excited for season three? A little less than a month away!**

NINE

Damon woke to the sight of Elena. She was lying on her side, facing him, a slight smile on her lips. He couldn't help but stare at her, completely enthralled with watching her body rise and fall in time with her breaths. They had made more progress than he could have ever hoped for in one night and he was going to make sure that today kept that progress going. A pout formed on his lips when he realized that in order to go ahead with that plan, he had to get out of bed before she woke up. He moved over and placed a kiss to her forehead before using his stealth and speed to get out before she could even so much as draw in another breath.

When Elena did wake, she frowned to see that Damon's side of the bed was empty. She had hoped that he would be the first thing she saw, but there would be many more days to come where that would be the case. With that, Elena sighed and pushed herself out of bed. She made her way to the bathroom and did a double take at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin seemed a little more flushed than usual and she could see beads of sweat trickling down her skin. She didn't feel feverish. Chalking it up to the room being warm, Elena ignored it and continued getting ready for the day.

After showering and getting dressed, she headed to the kitchen where she found Jeremy sitting at the island, eating breakfast. "Morning," she said as she walked past him towards the fridge.

"Morning," he replied, eyes glued to the newspaper in his hands.

"Since when do you read the news?" she asked, turning to look at him.

A smirk took hold of his lips. "I grew up, remember?" he teased and did a double take as he looked up. The smirk disappeared and he stood up. "You don't look so good," he said, raising a hand to her forehead.

"I noticed that too, but I feel fine. I think it's left over from the nightmare I had last night," she said, turning away from him to pour herself a glass of milk.

Jeremy took a few steps back, but watched her carefully. "You feel a little warmer than usual," he mumbled.

"I'm fine," she said sternly, giving him that look he knew that meant he better drop the subject or else. "What are you plans for the day?"

"Find Damon and ask him to not keep his bags of blood in the fridge next to my food. Or better yet, ask you to ask him."

Elena shook her head. "This is his house, Jer."

He shrugged. "I know, but it's...weird. Anyway, I'm off today. Are you doing anything?"

"I think I might go out for a run." Jeremy's brow arched so high Elena thought it was going to stay that way. "What?"

"You may have been a cheerleader back in the day, but that was six years ago. You are definitely out of shape and I don't think you should be running with a fever."

"I am not," she said with a pout. "And I don't have a fever."

"Elena-"

"I'm just going out for a jog, Jer. I can't just sit around all day and do nothing. I have too much energy from being cooped up for this long already."

"Cooped up? You've only been back for like a week."

"Well, whatever, are you coming with me or not?" she asked, beginning to put her hair up in a pony tail.

"Alright, alright. Just let me change out of these jeans," he said, giving in before retreating upstairs to change.

* * *

"I win!" Elena yelled as she burst through the door of the boarding house.

"You cheated!" Jeremy hollered behind her as they both trudged their way to the living room before collapsing onto the couch.

"How did I cheat? You're the one that said 'race you to the boarding house' and took off before me," she pointed out. "Now who's out of shape?" she teased.

"Quiet," he mumbled despite his smile. "Where are you going?" he asked as she got back on her feet.

"Am I not allowed to use the bathroom now?"

"Go," he said, shaking his head. He watched her walk away, wondering how they could have pushed themselves that far and yet she didn't look as though she had done more than run a lap around the boarding house. He frowned as he went through their jog together and couldn't shake the sensation that he had been holding her back.

When she came back, she had two glasses of ice cold water and Jeremy downed it quickly. "Thanks."

"Welcome." She saw the way he studied her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What now?"

"You still don't look very good."

"We just ran about a mile and a half. If I look a little flushed, that's because I should."

Before she could move away from him, he placed his hand on her forehead again only to immediately remove it. "You feel warmer than you did earlier."

"Again, because I just ran." She shook her head and placed her empty glass on the coffee table next to his. "I think I'm going to go for a walk." It wasn't the fact that he was getting all worked up over nothing so much as it was the feeling that her skin was crawling and the need to move was overwhelming.

"But you-"

"I'm fine," she said before heading to the front door. She slammed it behind her, making Jeremy cringe.

Exhausted, Jeremy's head fell back against the couch and his eyes closed. He still couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Even worse was that it felt like a strange case of deja vu. He was almost certain he had had that same argument before, but with someone else. With someone...

His eyes snapped open as he remembered Tyler shortly after his accident; the one that had accidently killed the other driver. For the days counting down to the full moon, Tyler's skin was always warm and flushed and he was constantly moving. "No," Jeremy whispered to himself. "I'm just over reacting. She did just finish running," he mumbled. He laughed to himself and shut his eyes again. After all the bad, supernatural things that kept happening around him, it was natural to just assume the worst. With that, Jeremy forced himself to relax, but that nagging feeling remained in the back of his mind.

* * *

Damon returned to find Elena moving her things to his room. He leaned against the door frame as he watched her rearrange his closet in attempt to find room for her things. She jumped slightly when she turned around and saw him standing there. "You have too much stuff," she said.

"I have been around for awhile. Things tend to accumulate. And for the record, some of those pieces are worth more than you could ever imagine," he assured her as he ventured inside the room to stand beside her.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked as he drew her into his arms.

"I've been planning our first date."

Elena pulled back to stare at him with an arched brow. "Oh?"

He gave a curt nod and reached down to take both of her hands in his. "I think you'll like it," he said and began to pull her towards the door.

"Wait," she said, removing her hand from his grasp. She looked down at herself and then back up at him. "Where are we going? I'm pretty sure I'll need to change and-"

"What you're wearing is fine." Startled, Elena could only stare at him. Damon smirked and took her hands again. "Trust me," he said lightly, doing that thing with his eyes that made it impossible for her to say no to him. After a slight nod, Damon led her away.

* * *

Damon could tell that she was angry. The longer they sat in the car, the more silent Elena became. At the moment, she was tapping her fingers on her the tops of her thighs, staring straight out the windshield. In retrospect, he realized he should have warned her that the drive to the place was going to take a little bit longer than she might have thought. When he did finally bring the car to a stop, Elena all but flew out of her seat.

"Where are we?" she asked, staring at him over the car.

"A little bit outside the city limits."

"You said first date. Yeah, I was a little weirded out by the fact that you said what I had on was fine, but this is not a first date."

"Were you expecting a gourmet restaurant with candlelight?" he asked, staring her down. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Which is exactly what I figured you would expect. We've already covered the fact that nothing about us is normal, so why would I give you a normal first date?"

Elena shrugged and looked around. "Yeah, but we're in the middle of nowhere."

Damon moved around the car until he was standing right in front of her. "I know cliches are cliches for a reason; because they work, but I want this to be as unique as possible. I don't do restaurants. If anyone is going to be cooking you a gourmet meal, it's going to be me. If there's going to be candlelight, it's going to be in my room while I make love to you. I hate sitting through movies because I get bored easily and I know you do too. So yes, we are in the middle of nowhere so we can be completely alone. This way, we can get to know each other again, talk about the past four years, and just relax without having to worry about someone having some sort of supernatural crisis."

Elena couldn't help but smile softly after that. She knew he was never one for long speeches and it made her heart flutter. "Alright, middle of nowhere it is."

"Thank you," he said, taking her hand in his.

"So what is so special about this middle of nowhere as opposed to the middle of nowhere someone closer to home?"

"No one would know where to look for one and two, you'll just have to see for yourself," he said with a grin before beginning to walk towards the spot he had been waiting to show her all day.

Elena stopped dead in her tracks as they came upon the clearing. She had heard the rush of water, but to actually see the waterfall and the little pool that it fell into was something else. There was a circle of open grass that surrounded the pool of water without any rocks. There were dozens of places like it all over Virginia, but this one was different. Elena could feel the power around the area and it pulled her forward like a moth to the flame.

"This is gorgeous," she breathed, taking everything in.

"I thought you might like it."

"How did you find this?"

"I used to take my horse and just ride. Anything to get away from Father and his outbursts."

Elena turned to look at him, amazed at how casually that tidbit had come out. "Did that happen often?"

He simply nodded and then swore under his breath. "I forgot the food. I'll be right back," he said and zoomed out of sight before she could protest.

Elena smirked, shaking her head as she waited for him to come back. She didn't have to wait long before she felt the air stir around her. Elena turned to see him setting a large picnic basket down on top of an oversized blanket. "How long do you plan on being out here?" she asked. "Because it's almost sunset and you're the only one that can see in the dark."

"We'll go when you want us to," he replied and beckoned her over with a tilt of his head.

Elena couldn't help but grin as she walked over to him and sat down on top of the blanket. She watched as he began to unload the basket and set up an array of food. Her stomach growled, making her realize she hadn't eaten yet and Damon shot her a funny look. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"There is food at the house you know."

She nodded and waited until they started eating to give in to her curiosity. "So, how exactly did you come about this spot?"

"I thought we went over this already?"

"Well, yeah, but I want details. How old were you when you first came here? How many times did you come here? Did you ever show this to anyone else?"

Damon stared at her, one of his brows arched up in the air. "By anyone else do you mean Katherine?"

Elena cleared her throat and smirked before shrugging her shoulders. "You tell me," she said, popping another grape into her mouth.

He gave a slight nod, his face taking on a more serious look as he contemplated it. "No, she was never here," he answered after a moment. "And neither was anyone else. I found this place when I was thirteen. Father had just found out about my latest wrongdoing and was furious. Instead of sticking around for my punishment, I managed to sneak out. I ran to the barn and grabbed my house and just rode. When I stopped, I ended up here. It was the dead of night and there were fireflies all around. I let the horse drink some water and I laid down for a second and when I woke up, the sun was out."

Elena's eyes darting around the area made him pause. "I would love to see this place lit up with fireflies. Those were always my favorite part of summer. Jer and I used to spend hours chasing them around trying to catch them," she mused.

"Stefan and I did that too. I guess it's a right of passage," he said, chuckling to himself.

"So how long did you stay before you went back?"

"I went back later that day. Father was still furious, but the bulk of the anger had been slept off, so my punishment wasn't as severe as it would have been."

"What did you do?"

Damon laughed and shook his head. "I don't even know anymore. I was always up to no good."

"Really? You?" Elena mocked.

Damon only glared at her for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Well, I shared something about me and I believe turnabout is fair play."

"What do you want to know?"

"Over the last four years was there anyone special?" His voice came out more timid than he would have liked. With any luck, she wouldn't notice.

Elena shook her head. "No. There were a few guys along the way, but no one that really stood out. No one that mattered." Elena saw the way his jaw locked with anger and she rolled her eyes before moving to kneel in front of him. She cupped his face and waited until his eyes locked with hers. "You shouldn't let it bother you. I'm here now, with you," she whispered and brought her lips down to his.

That initial touch sparked something within her. That endless amount of energy that had been slowly going away all day came back in full force. There was also a feeling she had never experienced before. It was almost like a hunger; one that was being fed by Damon's touch and made her never want to stop. So she didn't.

Damon was startled by her sudden brashness, especially when she pushed forward until he was flat on his back with her leaning over him, her knees on either side of his hips straddling him. She continued to kiss him, her hair forming a shield around their faces. His hands rose up to rest on her hips and keep her in place as he shifted to get more comfortable. She surprised him again when she sat back and pulled her shirt over her head. It was then that he realized she hadn't wearing a jacket.

"Elena, wait, stop," he managed to get out between kisses. He was finally able to make her stop by rolling them so that he was above her.

"What?" she all but growled at him.

He stared down at her with worry. "Where's your jacket?"

"At the boarding house."

"Aren't you cold?"

"I have you to warm me up," she answered, a glimmer in her eye he had never seen before.

"Technically I- _ah_." He lost all train of thought when one of her hands cupped his hardened member through his jeans.

"You were saying?" she taunted, her voice husky.

Damon responded by initiating a rather steamy kiss, making them both moan with mutual satisfaction. It wasn't until Damon's hand dropped to her side that he understood what was going on. He felt the heat of her skin and it wasn't the normal heat he felt from her, it was _hot_. He pulled his hand away and intended to move himself as well, but Elena grabbed onto his shirt and held him in place. Damon's resistance was fading as her hips bucked forward, connecting her body to his. He deepened the kiss and allowed himself to get lost in the moment.

But everything seemed to spiral out of control at once.

As suddenly as she had stared the heated make-out session, she ended it by letting go of him and turning her head to the side. Immediately, Damon sat back, trying to get the haze out of his mind so that he could help. "Can't breathe!" Elena hissed as she tried to suck in large, deep breaths.

Her skin had turned an angry red, almost as if she had spent too much time in the sun without sunscreen. Damon put his hand on her skin again and cringed at the heat he felt. "Hold on Elena," he ordered, trying to keep the panic out of his voice as his mind raced for a way to help her. His eyes slid to the water and back to her. "Elena?" he shouted, realizing she wasn't breathing anymore.

With superhuman speed, Damon had them both out of their clothes and plunging into the ice cold water. Still nothing. Elena's body was still and her heart wasn't beating anymore. "Damn it, Elena. Wake up!" he demanded. Hopelessly, he looked around for any sign of help, cursing himself for taking her so far away from city limits. "Elena!" he cried. Not knowing what to do, he stood there, watching her life fade before his eyes. Waiting, hoping, for a miracle.


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I set this story in mid November. The time comes up in this chapter, but I just wanted to clear it up anways. Hope you guys enjoy :)**

TEN

_His world was shattered. He couldn't stop staring at the mound before him. He knew that someone was speaking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. His eyes wouldn't produce any tears; he was too angry to cry. The world was truly a cruel place. It seemed that every time he found happiness, the universe decided to take it away from him for absolutely no reason. He wanted nothing more than to go back to that day and take it all back. The image of her dead body plagued him every time he shut his eyes and no amount of liquor in the world would be able to get rid of it. God knows he had tried. As always, when his eyes closed, he was haunted by the events of that day._

_He had pulled her into the water, hoping that the cold would shock her system and take away the heat that had stopped her heart. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing happened. He even tried to give her mouth-to-mouth, but that didn't work either. He had contemplating giving her his blood, but her heart had stopped beating more than five minutes ago meaning there was absolutely no way to bring her back._

_Instead, he just stared at her. Her skin was pale instead of olive as it usually was. Her lips were blue, a sign that her body temperature had gone way down. He had seen his share of dead bodies; he knew this was real._

_Damon opened his eyes as someone laid a hand on his shoulder. It was Caroline. She gave him a somber smile and tilted her head to the podium. "Would you like to say anything?" she asked, her voice filled with sadness._

_He inclined his head and made his way to the podium. He took an extra pause to stare at the casket before turning back to the crowd. There wasn't a dry eye in the cemetery and it surprised him more than it should have that nearly the entire town had come here for this. That only added another knot of guilt in his stomach. It should have been him in that casket. Not her. It was bad enough that he was responsible for her death. If only he had listened to Tyler's warnings..._

_"Elena Gilbert was the best thing that happened to me. Hell, she was the best thing that happened to all of you. In all my years, I have never met anyone with as much passion and devotion as Elena." He shook his head, feeling overwhelmed. For the first time in a hundred and fifty years, shutting his emotions off wasn't enough. It lessened the pain and the sorrow, but they was still there, just biding their time until they could truly overwhelm him._

_Just as he was about to continue, someone in the crowd screamed. His eyes jumped to Caroline who was staring at him with wide eyes full of fright. Slowly, Damon realized her line of vision was directed to something behind him. His entire body went numb as he slowly turned around. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion then. The moment his eyes landed on the casket, he saw why Caroline had screamed. The lid had been opened. The moment his eyes dropped to Elena, her eyes opened and she inhaled sharply..._

Damon snapped out of his momentary nightmare the moment Elena took a deep breath. She gasped for air, choking slightly as she splashed around in fright. Damon, having regained his composure, gathered her in his arms and pulled her out of the water again. She was shivering and trying to breathe, but at least she was alive. That was all that mattered. "Oh thank God!" he cried and pulled her into his arms again.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice harsh.

"You died."

"What?"

Damon held her to him even though she tried to pull away. "Just... Never mind. I'll explain everything once we get you dry and in the car." Elena nodded and let him dress her in her own clothes as well as his with the exclusion of his boxers. Damon was glad he had thought ahead and removed their clothes before jumping into the water. If he hadn't, the ride home might have been more awkward than it was already going to be.

He left their picnic stuff there as he carried her back to the car and put the heater on full blast. Elena sat in the passenger seat, shaking as she waited for the chill in her bones to go away. "So... I died?"

"Do you remember what happened before you woke up freezing?"

Elena stared at him as she tried to remember. When it hit her, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she looked away. "Oh God."

"I take that as a yes," he replied, grinning at her.

"So things did really did get hot and heavy there."

"Yeah, what was that about?" he asked.

"I just remembered that I wanted to and I was tired of waiting."

"That doesn't sound like you."

She shook her head and sighed. "It wasn't. Jeremy was right."

"What?"

"All day I've been feeling warm. I just assumed it was nothing; maybe the beginnings of a cold, but I remember being so hot that I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I felt like I was on fire."

"So you're only other option was to jump my bones?"

"You're really going to complain about that?" she asked, giving him a strange look.

"No, not really. Just wanted to point that out." He shook his head and looked at her. "I could tell something wasn't right. I kept trying to stop you, but you wouldn't let up. One minute you were kissing me and the next you were dying in my arms."

"So you undressed us both and jumped into the river?"

"I wanted you to cool down. You scared me Elena."

The raw emotion in his voice wiped the smile off Elena's face and forced her to allow the situation sink in. "I died," she whispered.

Damon reached across the seat and pulled her to him. She clung to him out of fear and the fact that she felt secure in his arms. They stayed there like that for a long while. It wasn't until Elena pulled away and asked him to take her home that Damon turned down the heat and began driving towards the boarding house. This was one night that he would be more than happy to end.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Damon asked as Elena put the finishing touches on her make-up. "Yesterday-"

"Was exactly the wake up call that I needed, Damon. Besides, something happened to me and I want to see if Bonnie can help me figure out what it was." She shrugged and turned around the face him. "Bonnie and Caroline both postponed going back home after I was attacked. They want to make sure that I'm okay and up until yesterday I thought I was going to be fine."

"I just think you need to take it easy."

She nodded and moved forward until she was standing right in front of him. "And I will. It's just lunch. I'll be back before you know it."

Damon sighed and reached for her hands. "Come on, I'll take you to the Grill."

"Thank you," she said and followed him down to the car.

The drive to the Grill was silent, both of them unsure of what to say. When Damon pulled up to the parking lot, Elena leaned over and kissed him lightly as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Should I come back to pick you up?"

Elena mulled it over. "I'll let you know."

He nodded and watched her get out of the car. After she had disappeared inside the restaurant, something clicked. Now, more than ever, he believed Tyler and he had a motivation to prove that it was the truth. Otherwise, there was something very wrong with Elena. Something from Mystic Falls during his human years was coming back to him and he had a nagging feeling that it would put everything into perspective and prove Tyler's accusation. With that, he headed towards City Hall to search for the answers.

* * *

Caroline and Bonnie had both listened to Elena's story with the same look of shock on their face. Even their reactions had been the same. Elena couldn't help but smile at the fact that they both wanted more details on the fact that she was with Damon instead of the part where she had died. After she had filled them in on the details of both parts, Caroline excused herself to answer a phone call. That was when Elena asked the question that had been eating at her since she went home after the attack.

"How does Caroline know about this stuff?"

"She was there when Tyler had his accident. She helped him out of the car before passing out herself, but she still remembered the strange reactions from him. She kept asking Jeremy and I questions so we told her everything."

"Even about Damon?"

"Especially about Damon," Bonnie replied. "I can't believe you're dating him."

Elena took a deep breath. "I get that you're not fond of him, but this isn't about you. We're not in high school anymore, Bon. I want to be with him, I've always wanted to be with him, and now that we're together, no one is going to change my mind about it."

Bonnie stared at her for a moment before smiling from ear-to-ear. "Look, Elena. If you're happy, I'm happy. Just don't expect me to be any nicer to him."

"Thanks Bonnie."

Caroline came back to the table with that angry glint to her eye. "I swear, my assistant is the most incompetent person on the face of the planet," she said and finished off her drink. "Elena, I'm really sorry that that happened to you, but we both know I have no idea how to help you. I'm glad you're alive though because really, that's all that matters. I have to go back to New York tonight."

"But Thanksgiving is next week," Bonnie said.

"I know, I was more than excited to be here for the holidays, but the less time spent with my mother, the better. I have to go pack, but I want you to stay in touch, okay?" she said, looking specifically at Elena. "No more running away, got it?"

"Got it," Elena replied and stood up to hug her friend. "I've missed you. I'll come up and visit you some time, okay? Tell Matt I said hello."

"I will, you two take care. And please, stop scaring us like this," she said before practically running out of the restaurant.

"That was unexpected," Elena said, turning back to Bonnie.

She shook her head. "No it wasn't. This happens every time she's in town for more than two weeks." Bonnie shrugged. "So what do you think happened?"

"I have no idea. I was feeling feverish all day yesterday and it escalated, but I honestly have no clue why it happened or why it happened so suddenly. I even feel fine today; no fever whatsoever."

Bonnie nodded, taking it all in. "Look, as soon as I get home I'll start looking into it."

"Okay, thanks. Hey, I'm gonna use the ladies' room. Be back in a sec."

No sooner had Elena left the table did Jeremy slide into the booth where his sister had been. "Jer? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh, I work here," he said, giving her a confused look.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. I think we should tell Elena. It's not like we're doing anything wrong."

"No, we're not, but it still feels like you're Elena's kid brother."

"That's because I always will be," he said, giving her that goofy smile that always got to her. "I want to tell her soon before she goes away again."

Bonnie nodded. "Hey, did Elena tell you what happened yesterday?"

"Yeah, I was home when she and Damon got back. Damon filled me in after she went to bed. What do you think happened?"

"Tyler went through some over heating like that, didn't he?"

Jeremy was silent for a long moment before nodding once. "I was thinking that too."

"Do you think-"

"I've thought about it, but it's impossible. My dad was a surgeon. There had to have been some deaths caused by him and he never changed. Uncle John only went after those that were already dead."

Bonnie sighed and sat back. "Anything is possible with Elena."

Jeremy snorted. "No kidding." He looked up and got out of the booth. "See you later."

"Working?" Elena asked as she approached them.

"Just about to start. Figured I would come and say hello. Damon's out front by the way."

She nodded. "Yeah, he just called. Thanks Bonnie, let me know if and when you find anything okay? And I mean anything."

"You got it."

Elena waved to both of them and headed outside. When she slid into the passenger seat of Damon's car, she sighed. "How did it go?"

"She's going to look into it," Elena replied. "Where did you go?" she asked out of curiosity.

"To City Hall to look at public records followed by the library."

"What for?"

"Looking for something," he answered in a tone that Elena knew well. He wasn't going to tell her anything until he was ready and the more she pressed him, the less he would talk to her in general.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes," he replied and began driving towards the boarding house.


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: I am done with school for the next week and a half so I plan to use that time to write as much as I can. Now, I know a lot of you are still dying to know what the hell Elena is and I'm being vague for a reason ;) But all will be revealed shortly :)****  
**  
ELEVEN

The following week had gone by almost as if nothing had happened. Damon and Elena spent the majority of their time together, catching up on the four years that they had been apart. When they weren't around each other, Damon was doing follow up research on what he had found which only made him worry about Elena even more. She could sense that he was worried because he kept their intimate moments short, afraid that she might die on him again. It annoyed her, but at the same time, she was afraid of that happening again as well.

The following week also meant Thanksgiving was upon them. Since everyone was in town for once, Jenna made a big fuss about having dinner at her house. It wasn't until they were in the car that Damon realized something and laughed to himself. "What?" Elena asked.

"I just find it amusing that the last time I had a real Thanksgiving was also hosted by the Gilberts."

Elena smiled slightly. "Technically, Jenna is a Sommers-Saltzman," she said.

"Still."

"You really had Thanksgiving with my ancestors?"

He nodded. "John's wife sort of took us under her wing when my mother died. When she found out my father planned on drowning himself in liquor that first year, she scolded him and made us come over. It became tradition after that and every year we went over there until Katherine came into town," he said, scowling. That bitch really had ruined everything.

Elena stared at him, finding it strange in that moment to think that Mystic Falls did have a time of peace before 1864. It saddened her in a way too, to see the pain in Damon's eyes as he reminisced. Gently, she reached over and placed her hand over his. He turned and gave her a small smile. "I hope this year does those years justice."

"This one will be better."

"It will?"

He nodded. "You'll be there." It was so cheesy, but Elena couldn't help but melt a little. Neither of them said anything until they got to Jenna's. The moment they walked in, Damon cringed. "Oh God, Jenna's cooking isn't she?"

"Hey!" came Jenna's voice from the kitchen.

"Ric, I think we better take over before she ruins the turkey," he said as Alaric joined them in the foyer.

Alaric chuckled and led Damon into the kitchen with Elena laughing as she followed them. "Come on Jenna, let's let the guys handle this," she said, taking her aunt by the hand. As she passed the island, she grabbed the bottle of wine.

"I can handle that," she said, nodding towards the bottle.

They went to the back porch and sat down. "So where are the others?"

"Bonnie is doing an early Thanksgiving with her father before coming over and I think Jer and Tyler are doing a morning shift before they come over."

At the mention of his name, Elena realized that she hadn't really seen Tyler around since the night he found her. Shoving that aside, she opened the bottle and took a swig. "So what's new?"

Jenna chuckled. "I should be asking you that." Then her face got serious as she snatched the bottle away from Elena. "Oh, by the way, it was really wonderful to find out that you had died by eavesdropping on Alaric."

Elena cleared her throat and looked down. "I didn't want to worry you."

"I constantly worry about you, Elena. I want to know things like that. What the hell happened anyway?" she asked, passing the bottle back. Elena's cheeks reddened and she took a deep drink. "Damon was _that _good, huh? Do tell."

Elena nearly choked on her drink and pulled the bottle away, laughing. "That is so not what happened," she said. Although, it was close.

"Then what the hell was it?"

"I had been feeling hot all day along with endless amounts of energy. Damon and I went out on our first date and... Well, I guess things did start to get a little hot and heavy, but then I couldn't breathe." Elena shrugged. "The next thing I knew, I was naked and coughing up water."

Jenna narrowed her eyes. "You didn't... You're still..."

It took Elena a few seconds to understand what her aunt was trying to ask and she shook her head. "I'm still human."

Jenna let out a breath of relief and took a long drink. "Do you think you ever would?"

Elena looked towards the door, wondering if Damon was listening to their conversation. "I haven't really given it much thought. I mean, I told Stefan I wanted to, but I wanted to for the wrong reason." She shrugged again. "I don't know," she repeated as her final answer.

"So apart from the other day, you're feeling fine now?"

She nodded. "Damon has been making sure I don't over do anything."

Jenna smirked, hearing the frustration in her niece's voice. "You two still haven't slept together have you?"

Elena's eyes went wide, but she answered by shaking her head.

"What the hell are you two waiting for?" Jenna asked and shook her head.

"I think that on some level we're both afraid that we've been wanting it for so long that it might be disappointing."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "My advice to you Elena, just do it; get it over with and you won't regret it."

Elena smiled and took another drink. She was right, the longer they waited, the chances of it never happening were likely to increase. Then again, it was Damon she was talking about. She shook her head and smiled at the thought. "Thanks Jenna."

* * *

By the time Jenna and Elena had opened a second bottle, Bonnie arrived and joined them on the back porch. "You're early," Jenna stated.

"Dad decided he wanted to eat an early lunch so that he could watch the game in peace," she said and shrugged. "Um, Elena, do you think I could talk to you for a second?"

Jenna stood and smiled at them. "I think that's my cue to go bug the guys," she said and headed inside.

"What's up?" Elena asked, handing her the bottle of wine.

Bonnie smiled and took a very long drink as a way to gather her courage. "I don't really know how to say this."

The smile on Elena's face faded. "Did you find something out about me?"

Bonnie's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, no. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, but it's not about that. I haven't found anything yet."

Elena put her hand over her heart and took a deep breath. "Well then, what is it? It can't be that bad."

Bonnie took a deep breath as well and laughed as she let it out. "We used to be so close. I knew I could tell you anything, even if I knew it would make you mad, but now..."

Elena looked down, feeling guilty for the past four years all over again. "I know, it's my fault."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," Bonnie assured her. "This is coming out all wrong. I just meant that even if things had been different, this is still hard to say."

"Bon, just spit it out."

"Jeremy and I are together."

Elena stared at her, eyes wide in shock. "That's it? You got me all worried about you dating my brother?"

Bonnie smiled slightly. "It's not just dating. I love him."

"Oh Bonnie, why in the world did you think I would be mad at you for that?" Elena asked as she got up to hug her friend.

Bonnie laughed. "I have no idea. I guess we just went for so long without telling you that it just seemed strange somehow. I don't know."

"How long have you been together?" she asked as they sat back down.

"Two years."

"That's serious."

Bonnie nodded. At that point, Jenna returned, a scowl on her face. "Damon practically kicked me out of my house."

"What did you do?"

"I started helping."

All three of them dissolved into laughter before chatting away again as they waited for dinner to be ready.

* * *

When dinner was close to being ready, Jeremy and Tyler arrived. Immediately, Alaric pulled Jeremy aside to ask him some questions about stuff he and Jenna had found in the attic, leaving Tyler alone with Damon. "You've been avoiding Elena and I," Damon said.

Tyler shrugged. "I figured the two of you could use as much privacy as you could get."

"Uh huh."

"Have you found anything?"

"Yes," Damon said, his tone clipped.

"Well?" Tyler asked after waiting a few moments for a response.

"Well what?"

"What did you find?"

Damon stopped what he was doing and turned to face the wolf. "I am not talking about this right now. Especially not with so many people around. Just keep it to yourself, okay? I'm handling it."

Before Tyler could ask anything else, the women came in from the porch. "It smells delicious," Elena said.

"Someone should set the table. It will be ready soon," Damon said.

"On it," Jenna said and headed towards the dining room with Bonnie and Tyler following.

Elena stayed in the kitchen and walked up to Damon, wrapping her arms around him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just happy you're here," she said, stepping back slightly as he turned around.

"I'm happy you're here too," he replied and cupped her face. He lowered is lips to hers and initiated a kiss so steamy Elena thought she was going to faint.

"Seriously you two, get a room," Jeremy teased as he and Alaric came back down.

Elena pulled away and grinned, cocking her head to the side. "Technically, I have one upstairs."

Damon stared at her, seeing the seriousness in her eyes and he couldn't help but feel aroused. "Okay, gross," Jeremy interrupted and grabbed Elena by the shoulders, propelling her out of the room. But not before she winked at Damon, letting his mind wonder at the unspoken promise she had made.

* * *

Damon and Elena were the last ones to leave. Jeremy and Bonnie had left relatively early and Tyler had gone upstairs to Jeremy's old room to pass out from. The drive to the boarding house was silent with Elena staring out the window. "What are you thinking about?" Damon asked when they were almost there.

"My parents. I wonder how my life would have turned out if they hadn't died in that accident."

Damon shrugged. He had often wondered the same about his mother. How different things might have been. "I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about that. It never does any good because you can't change the past."

Elena nodded in agreement. "If there was one thing you could change, what would it be?"

He turned and gave her a look. "Really? You have to ask?"

"Aside from the obvious."

Damon smirked and mulled it over. "There are a lot of things that I wish I had handled differently, but no. I wouldn't change anything."

Elena nodded. "I wouldn't have gone to that party."

Damon reached over and took one of her hands in his. "Like I said, don't dwell on it." She smiled at him and laced their fingers together for the rest of their ride.

Once they were inside, Elena headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. Damon followed her and reached into the fridge for a blood bag. Normally, Elena looked away when he drank it, but this time, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Damon saw the fascination in her eyes and it held him captive. When he was done, Elena's cheeks flushed and she looked down.

"Sorry, I-"

"Curiosity is a powerful thing," Damon replied, throwing the bag in the trash.

It was like her throat had gone dry; as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have been. She shook her head and smiled. "It's not like I haven't seen you feed before." The moment the words left her mouth, the tension in the room seemed to spark as they both remembered the few times he had come close to feeding from her. Elena's breathing became shallow as she stared at him, waiting for him to make a move. Damon saw the flash in her eyes and that was all it took.

He moved forward and cupped her face, tipping her head up so that he could brush his lips over hers. Elena's hands rested on his sides as her eyes closed. She surrendered the kiss, knowing where the night was going to take them. As her lips parted to kiss him more thoroughly, she felt the bout of laughter and it escaped her before she could help it. Damon pulled back and stared at her.

"I'm sorry," she said before putting a hand over her mouth. "It's just nerves."

A grin took hold of his face as he canted his head to the side. Instead of responding to her, he pulled her to him so fast her vision swam. By the time everything settled, Elena's nerves were being calmed by his drugging kisses. And just like that, her urge to laugh was gone, replaced by her urge to have him in every way. Her hands slid up his chest only to dive into his hair. She groaned as he pulled her even closer, allowing her to feel his arousal. His hands roamed over her back until they reached her hips. In another quick movement, he lifted her up, only to set her onto the island. He then wedged himself between her thighs and Elena knew that they weren't going to make it upstairs.

A low growl came from the back of Damon's throat as she locked her ankles behind his back and tugged on his hair. He could feel her smile into the kiss and it made him want her even more. Not wanting to waste any more time, his hands moved to the fly of her jeans and began to undo both the button and the zipper. Gently, he tugged her jeans off. Elena gasped in shock of how cold the counter top was, earning an arrogant smirk from Damon as he continued to undress her.

When he stood up again, he reclaimed her lips, his hands moving to the bare skin of her thighs. He was too busy reveling in the way she felt to notice that her hands hand wandered down his body, dipping behind the waistband of his jeans. He hissed into the kiss when he felt her hand wrap around his length, causing him to harden even more. He had been intent on taking his time to please her that he hadn't thought about her being so bold. It had caught him off guard and he was more than okay with it.

The moment Elena touched him, the need to have him intensified and she kissed him harder. Damon could feel her urgency and it fed his own. It was as if a switch had been flipped inside them both at the same time. In hardly any time at all, the rest of their clothes had been removed, baring themselves to each other for the first time. Elena moved closer to the counter's edge and looked at him, slowly dragging her tongue across her lips in a teasing manner. Damon's hand traveled down her body, groaning as he discovered how ready she was for him already. With his other hand, he guided himself into her entrance, moving slowly until he was buried deep within her body.

Elena's back arched, pushing her body towards Damon's as her head fell back, breaking their kiss. Damon took the opportunity to pay attention to her breasts, his mouth closing over one of her nipples. Elena shuddered with ecstasy as his tongued flickered over her skin followed by the scrape of his teeth. She moved her hips then, indicating that she was ready for more. She let go of him, putting her hands behind her on the counter for support. Damon placed a hand on her hip to steady himself before setting a pace that brought them closer to release with each thrust. Elena angled her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust as he continued to pleasure her from every angle. His other hand dropped to their joined bodies and began teasing her clit, eliciting a loud moan from her.

When she knew that she was close to climaxing, she sat back up, placing her hands on Damon's shoulders to brace herself. She kissed him briefly before tipping her head back again, needing all the air she could get. Damon's lips went to her throat and it took all the control he had to keep his fangs to himself. It was then that one of Elena's hands stole up to the back of his neck and held his head in place against her throat. He thrust harder, the feel of her pulse against his lips combined with the sound of her racing heart were almost too much to take. "Do it," she whispered.

Her command did him in. Unable to fight his most basic instinct, his fangs dropped and immediately lodged themselves into her soft, willing flesh. Elena hissed as the pleasure and pain combined, sending her over the edge into oblivion. Damon followed her lead and slammed himself as far as he could into her before releasing. Her warm blood slid down his throat, tasting like water to a man stranded in a desert. This was the best night of life and he could think of nothing that would top it.


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n: Here you go Readers :) Enjoy!****  
**  
TWELVE

Damon looked at Elena for the thousandth time that night, still having a hard time believing that all of this was real. They had spent hours carnally expressing themselves and he was more than happy to have a girl whose stamina matched his own. It had been a few hours since Elena had had enough and fell asleep in his arms, but Damon hadn't been able to fall asleep. Not only was he counting his blessings, he was also strung out on the after effects of her blood. Whatever was going on with Elena, the way her blood effected him wasn't something that human blood usually did. He couldn't be sure if it was just because she was the doppelganger or something else, but he liked the high that it gave him.

He also realized that her blood could have killed him.

Damon hadn't had that much supernatural blood. Werewolves were on the verge of being extinct thanks to the vampire's hatred of them and the few times he had had witch blood, he had been in such an adrenaline rush from trying to kill them first that he couldn't remember the immediate effects of it. However, from the way he felt now, he was pretty sure he would have remembered if witch blood had effected him this much. Then again, for all he knew, it could be the fact that it was Elena's blood that was effecting him this way.

And instead of getting up to deal with the urge to run laps around Mystic Falls, Damon remained where he was, holding the girl of his dreams while she slept peacefully. It didn't help that a small smile graced her lips through the night, stroking his already large ego. When he sensed that she was waking up, he decided to pretend that he was asleep, curious to see how she would react to "the morning after."

Elena's cheek nuzzled his bare chest as she started to wake. Her body began to rub against his until her eyes fluttered open. She blinked slowly, getting her bearings as the memories of the previous night came back to her. She moved so that she could see Damon's face, that sly grin taking hold of her lips again. She studied him, taking in every inch of what wasn't covered by the sheet. Elena knew full well that he was awake simply based on the fact that he had always been up before her, even before, she could never surprise him.

"Morning," she muttered as she pressed her lips against his ribcage, her nails gently tracing patterns on his exposed hipbone.

"Morning," he returned, his arousal becoming more prominent. Her voice was practically a purr and it was sexier than he could have ever imagined that it would be. That, combined with her physical touches was enough to drive him crazy. As if he couldn't get enough of her before...

Unable to hold back, Damon used his speed to pull her over top of him, placing his hands on her hips to steady her. She grinned down at him, knowing exactly what he wanted her to do. She sat up on her knees and reached down between them to guide him into her body. Both of them groaned at the connection. Damon watched as Elena bit down on her bottom lip and let her set the pace. One of his hands slid up her side until he was cupping her breast. The moment his thumb rolled over her hardened nipple, a moan escaped her lips and her head fell back.

Wanting nothing more than to watch her face as she came for him, Damon thrust his hips upwards as she came down on top of him. Her body trembled with passion as he hit every pleasure center, even the ones she didn't know she had. Damon moved both of his hands back to her hips and held on as they both fed off of each other's energy and increased their pace. Elena's hands rose to cup her own breasts, giving Damon more excitement at the sight than he thought was possible. Elena looked down at him for a brief moment before her eyes began to close.

"Look at me," he demanded, keeping his voice husky.

Again, Elena bit down on her bottom lip, but did as he asked and forced her eyes to stay open and locked on his. The connection was electrifying. They could feel the intensity in the air around them and the pleasure the felt intensified. After only a couple more deep thrusts, they came at the same time, continuing their ministrations until Elena collapsed on top of him.

When Elena had caught her breath, she slid off of him so that she could prop herself up on her elbows. She turned her head to the side to look at him, smirking at the way he tucked his arms behind his head, a smug look of satisfaction on his face. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her, reveling in the way her skin flushed from their tryst and the slightly increased rate of her heartbeat.

"About us," she replied, reaching up slightly to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"What about us exactly?"

She held his gaze and the intensity matched the moment they had shared earlier. At the moment, they weren't even touching, but they could feel each other everywhere. "I love you, Damon. I don't know why I haven't said it yet, but it's true. I love you so much and I'm glad that you're back in my life. I've been so lost without you."

Of all the things she could have said, Damon wasn't expecting that. He could only stare at her, reveling in the way those words made him feel. She had told him that once before, but at the time she meant she loved him like family. This was the moment he had been dreaming of and it was much better than any love making session they could possibly have. Elated, Damon moved quickly to roll her onto her back, pinning her between his body and the mattress.

"I love you too," he replied before lowering his lips to hers, delivering a searing kiss. Elena realized that if she didn't stop now, she and Damon would probably never leave the bed again. When she began to wriggle out from beneath him, he asked, "Just where do you think you're going?"

"To shower," she said, getting to her feet. "Care to join me?" The moment the words had left her mouth, he jumped out of bed and swept her off her feet, earning a yelp of surprise from Elena as he carried her to the shower with enthusiasm like no other.

* * *

"Who knew you could play pool so well? I distinctly remember you being horrible at this game," Damon said as Elena had won yet another round.

She grinned as she grabbed her beer from the table. "You pick up a few things here and there when you travel. Hustling is a great way to make money so it was either get good or be broke."

Bonnie laughed from the other side of the table. She had to admit, for as much anger as she harbored for him, she couldn't ignore the changes in her best friend. For the first time in a long time, Elena was truly happy and Bonnie was more than certain that Damon was the reason why. "Well, hand over the cue stick," she said, sticking out her hand.

Damon sighed as he handed it to her. "I hope you put on a hex on her," he said before going to place a kiss on Elena's cheek. "I'm getting a refill. Anyone else want one?" Both girl's raised their hands and Damon nodded before heading to the bar. Tyler was the bartender for the night and Damon rolled his eyes as he drummed his fingers on the counter. "You know, for a supernatural, you can't handle your liquor very well," he teased the wolf.

Tyler shot him a look as he refilled the glasses. "You do realize that if I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I am, you two are dangerous to one another, right?"

Damon shrugged, trying to play nonchalant, but his ego had other ideas as a grin spread across his face. Tyler's nose turned in disgust and he shuddered. "_If_ you are right, your kind made up the legend about your blood being poisonous because let me tell you, it is anything but," he said as he grabbed the drinks and headed back to the pool table.

"Jeremy is missing out on all the fun," Elena said as Damon approached them, handing Bonnie her drink.

"Oh well, it's not like we can't do this again tomorrow," she said with a shrug. "He's the one that wanted to work tonight." With that, her eyes scanned the crowd, locating the man in question, a goofy smile on her face.

Elena laughed softly and took another shot, missing the mark. She turned to Damon who had moved to stand close to her. She grinned up at him and let her eyes close as his lips moved down to hers. She inhaled deeply, her senses tingling from the rich, spicy scent of him, eliciting the softest of moans from her. She smirked at the way Damon's body reacted, letting her know that he had heard her.

"You two need to quit that," Bonnie hissed.

Elena took a half step back and turned, but stayed in front of Damon as he cleared his throat. "We weren't doing anything."

"Uh huh," the witch muttered and gestured towards the table. "Your turn."

"You know, I think I've had enough pool and liquor for one night. What do you say we call it a tie and head home?"

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Damon replied, looping an arm around her shoulders. Bonnie shook her head, a smile on her face. She could tell from Elena's aura that the new couple had brought their relationship to a new level and it was hard for them to think of anything else.

"You two have fun," Bonnie said before taking her drink and going to sit at the bar to wait for Jeremy's shift to end.

Elena linked her fingers together with Damon's and followed him out to the car. When they got back to the manor, Elena stopped before stepping onto the porch. "Elena?"

"I don't want to go inside. Will you take a walk with me?" she asked, holding her arms out for him.

Damon hesitated for a second as he remembered the last time they had been alone in nature. Slowly, he gave in and nodded, taking her hand again. "We're not going far."

She shook her head. "No."

They walked in silence for a little bit. Damon kept studying her wardrobe, wanting badly to comment on the fact that she should be experiencing the chilly weather like a normal human. She had the winter coat and the appropriate accessories, but her skin looked the same as if they were inside with normal temperatures. He shook his head in order to clear it, realizing that she had said something. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked what you plan on doing with the boarding house."

He stopped and looked at her quizzically. "I'm not following."

"I get that you don't want to talk about our future just yet, especially where turning is involved, but I did leave this town for a reason. I didn't even plan to stay in town this long, but I need to get out before it's too late."

Damon frowned. "What's so bad about this town?" After a moment or two, he let out a bitter laugh and raked a hand through his hair. "Aside from the obvious of course."

Elena tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Too many bad memories here and not enough good ones to counteract." She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. "I know you spent the majority of your life obsessing over this town, but have you ever thought about cutting ties with it?"

Silence settled over them as Damon mulled it over. Finally, he stepped forward and cupped her face, tilting it up so he could stare into her eyes. "I have wanted nothing more than to cut my ties to this town, but something always drew me back. Oddly enough, it wasn't until you left it that I wanted nothing to do with it. When Jeremy called me that day, all he had to say was your name and I came running." He smiled softly at her and kissed her forehead. "I realized that the reason is because you are where my home is because my heart belongs to you."

Damon cringed and Elena laughed, the sound filling the area around them. "God, could you be any more cheesy?"

"Probably not," he replied and covered her lips with his. The kiss was enough to make Elena's mind spin and her body tremble. It made her fully realize that she had been right all along. If they had given their love a shot four years ago, they would have blown it. But now, they were both ready and capable and Elena had no intentions of ever letting him go.

As Elena inhaled, she picked up an unfamiliar scent. She pulled away from Damon and inhaled again, trying to figure out what it was. Damon watched her with curiosity. "Elena?"

"Do you smell that?"

He straightened up and took a deep breath. "Smell what?" he asked, his voice filled with sadness. He did smell it because his senses could pick up the scent of blood from a very long distance. What bothered him was the fact that Elena seemed to be able to as well.

She sniffed the air again only to find that the scent was gone. She shrugged and reached out to take his hand. "Never mind, I guess my mind was playing tricks on me. Come on, let's go back inside, I've had enough fresh air for now." Damon nodded and let her lead the way to the house, unable to ignore the facts any longer. He knew what she was and he had to tell her. Now all he had to do was figure out how.


	13. Chapter 13

**a/n: Alright, the prelude to the chapter you've all been waiting for! The full explanation is coming up next!**

**p.s. School started Monday, so I will my try my best to keep this coming relatively quick!****  
**  
THIRTEEN

Damon stared up at the ceiling. He was bored. It was something that he detested and being a vampire didn't usually agree with being bored. As it was, he just didn't want to do anything. So instead, he was stretched out on the couch in the parlor, staring at the ceiling. He didn't even want to get up to get his bottle of scotch. The last week had completely worn him out. _Elena_ had worn him out. There were times when he worried about her dying on him again, but since that night, nothing that extreme had happened again. He had no idea that she could be so insatiable. Even though he was never one to say no, there were times when he truly thought her libido was worse than his.

He was drawn from his thoughts as the back door opened and Elena came in from her midday walk. He knew that she could probably guess that he wasn't asleep, but he wanted to see what she would do. So he continued to lay there with his eyes shut, listening to her rummage around the kitchen for a little bit before venturing into the parlor. He heard her getting closer and could feel her when she stopped next to the couch. Elena stared down at him, wondering if he wanted to be disturbed or not. In the end, she decided to leave him alone. Damon had other ideas. He grabbed her wrist before she could move and before she knew it, she was straddling his waist while he remained stretched out on the couch.

He opened his eyes and saw her smirking at him. "Well hi," she said, her voice low.

"You were just going to walk away?"

"I figured you could use some alone time."

"I had four years of alone time," he said, reaching up to cup her face.

She smiled and turned to place a kiss into the palm of his hand. "Good answer."

He smirked back up at her, his eyes never leaving hers as she leaned down to capture his lips with hers. She kissed him deeply, enough to show him that she was ready to go yet again and had no intention of stopping. Damon grinned into the kiss and let his hands find their way to her jeans. He undid the fly and slowly began to push the material down as far as he could. Elena moaned low her in throat as Damon's middle finger slid between her folds in long, agonizingly slow strokes. Damon kissed her harder, loving how slick she was even though he had only just begun.

Elena stunned him by breaking the kiss and sitting up straight. She winked at him before removing her top and tossing it behind the couch. Instead of kissing him again, she placed one hand on the back of the couch and the other on his chest to brace herself. Damon felt his face conform just a little, showing his appreciation. There was almost nothing better than watching her as she came for him. After years of thinking about how her body would respond to him, it was heaven to see it for real.

With that in mind, Damon sank his middle into her body and she clenched at him, trying to draw him deeper. His thumb began massaging her clit, slowly building up a climax. He was going to play with her in more ways than one. Elena bit her lip as she stared down at him, her brown eyes glossy with passion as he continued his ministrations. Her hips rotated ever so slightly with impatience and Damon stopped, letting her know that she would just have to be patient with him.

Without any warning, he added another finger and picked up the pace a little, setting her body on fire with want. She bit her lip harder and dug her nails into the cushion. Damon increased his pace with each thrust and Elena's back arched as her head began to bind. Right as she reached the brink of oblivion, a moan escaped her lips. But before she ever reached that sought after release, Damon stopped. Elena looked down at him, scowling at the evil grin on his face. Instead, he went back to his slow pace, bringing her down while leaving her frustrated. He repeated the notion, enjoying the way she fell for it each and every time. After the third round of not letting her climax, a growl escaped her lips and she leaned forward to claim his lips.

Damon used his speed then to sit up so that his back was against the couch with Elena straddling his waist still. In another quick movement, he had pushed his own jeans down enough to free himself and in no time at all, his hardened length replaced his fingers. Their union elicited a sigh of satisfaction from both of them. Elena's head tipped back as Damon placed both hands on her hips to steady himself as he began deeply thrusting into her body. It only took Elena a few strokes before getting back to being on the edge of release and Damon was soon to follow having been well on his way from watching her. And before they knew it, they had joined each other in their bliss.

Elena leaned forward, burying her face in the crook of Damon's neck as she caught her breath in the aftermath. When the moment had passed, Elena slid off of his lap so that they both could redress; with the exception of her shirt. Elena moved to lie on her back, her legs draped across Damon's lap. Just as she was about to say something, her stomach growled loud enough for both of them to hear.

"Apparently I worked up quite the appetite," Elena said with a slight laugh.

"I can whip something up."

Elena shook her head. "I've been craving pizza. You should go pick some up because you drive faster than any delivery boy."

Damon sighed as he pretended to think about it. "I guess I could."

"I'll show you how much I appreciate you after," Elena said with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.

He grinned and got to his feet, bringing her with him. He cupped her face and kissed her playfully. "I'll be back in a little bit," he informed her before taking off.

Elena watched him go before walking around the couch to pull on her shirt. After pulling her hair out from beneath the collar, her eyes landed on the drink cart. With a shrug, she took a step forward and poured herself a drink. After the first sip, she moved back to the couch to wait for Damon. By the time she had finished her glass, she heard the door open. "Wow, that was quick. You must be really-" Elena stopped mid-sentence as Tyler rounded the corner. "Oh, hey."

"Hey," he replied, giving her a smile.

"What's up?"

He shrugged and walked into the room, taking a seat by her side. "Well, you've been back for almost a month now and I feel like we've barely spent any time together. I just wanted to see how you've been. You know, considering your 'welcome back' was so spectacular," he said sarcastically.

Elena couldn't help but smirk. "Just be glad you didn't come back here a few minutes earlier."

Tyler grimaced for a second before rolling his eyes. "Don't you two do anything else?"

"No," Elena answered effortlessly.

Tyler shook his head. "So, how are you doing with everything that happened?"

Elena settled back against the couch and shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Tyler looked at her, his eyes full of doubt. "Come on, Gilbert, don't lie to me."

Knowing that he had been through something like this too, Elena found herself willing to talk to him. "Alright, so everything's not fine, but I don't dwell on it a whole lot. I still get the occasional nightmare, but for the most part, it just feels like a bad dream."

"I know we never really used to talk in high school, but we've both taken a life. Trust me, if I had had someone there that understood exactly what I was going through, it would have helped. Let's face it, Damon can't really supportive in the guilt department when it comes to taking someone's life."

Elena shook her head slightly, but didn't comment. Instead, she changed the subject. "I never really thanked you for that night," Elena said, offering a small smile.

"You don't have to."

"You found me, Tyler. You're the one that stayed with me and made sure that I got home safe. You even buried the body for me." She couldn't help but chuckle at that one. "I don't know why we didn't report it. It was self defense. I guess with all the supernatural stuff we have to deal with, it was more natural to take care of it ourselves."

Tyler nodded in agreement. "It's true. Liz would have made sure nothing happened to you, but oh well, what's done is done. Just know that I'm there for you. Like I said, it was hard enough to go through this by myself and I don't want the same for you."

"Thanks Tyler."

He raked a hand through his hair and sat forward. "The month following that accident was the worst and yeah, it gets easier over time, but it's still a reminder of what I did; of how I became what I am."

Elena felt her heartstrings tug a little as the look of guilt washed over his face. She could even see the pain behind his eyes. "It was an accident Tyler. It wasn't like you purposely crashed your car into hers. Just like I didn't go looking to kill that guy for the fun of it."

As Tyler spoke more, Elena realized that he was mostly thinking out loud. She wasn't even sure that he had heard her. "I know that Jeremy was there for me, but it didn't matter how much he tried to help, he still wasn't one of us."

Elena felt her blood run cold at the last word. "I don't-"

"Even Damon won't truly understand what you'll go through because he'll never have to go through it. But I've been there Elena. I've experienced the pull of the moon and I will make sure that you get the help that you need, okay? I won't let you hurt anyone either. I've found a way to run during the full moon where no one gets hurt instead of locking myself up in a dungeon somewhere."

Elena stood up and moved away from him. "Tyler, what on Earth are you talking about?"

Tyler finally looked at her then, his eyes full of curiosity and confusion. "The transition."

"What transition? Tyler, you're freaking me out."

Tyler studied her and then the realization struck. "Damon never told you, did he?" he asked, slowly getting to his feet as well.

"Tell me what?"

"That you're a werewolf."

Elena's heart skipped a beat and for a long moment, she couldn't seem to catch her breath. When she could breathe again, she started laughing at how ridiculous this sounded. "You can't be serious."

"I am Elena. All the symptoms point to it. I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't believe it was true." He shook his head. "Damon was supposed to have told you already."

Elena's laughter stopped as she remembered all the times Damon had said he was researching something, but would never tell her what it was. Then she remembered the time he had picked her up from having lunch with Bonnie where he had said he had found what he was looking for, but said nothing else. "No," she whispered, staring at Tyler with horror. "This cannot be happening."

"Elena-" he began, but was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and Damon's voice.

"I know this is faster than what you expected, but if you don't ask how I did it, we can pretend that it's a new world record," Damon said as he walked to the parlor. The smile on his face went away as he took in the scene. The horrified look on Elena's face along with the guilty and terrified one on Tyler's told him everything; the truth had finally come out.


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: Okay, so I hope that everyone understands the back story that I created. Obviously, this didn't happen as far as the show is concerned, but oh well; that's the magic of FF. If anything sounds confusing, let me know and I'll clear it up.**

FOURTEEN

Tyler looked back and forth between Elena and Damon as he watched the growing fear and anger; all directed at him. He did a double take as Damon stepped down into the room, giving him the deadliest glare he had ever received from the vampire. "Elena I'm so sorry," he said quietly before taking a step back. "I'm gonna go..." he added, letting his voice trail off. Tyler could tell the anger was bad because he could see the veins on Damon's skin, indicating he was close to a rage induced bloodlust; something he had no intention of sticking around for.

"Good idea," Damon snapped, still glaring at him. He continued to stare until Tyler was gone and then turned his attention towards Elena.

"What the hell was he talking about Damon?" she asked, anger and fear both crystal clear in her voice.

"What exactly did he say to you?"

Elena shook her head slightly, still in a daze. "He said that he would be here for me, that I would need someone who had gone through the same thing. Even after I thanked him, he kept stressing that point and I asked him what he meant and he said..." Elena closed her eyes and swallowed around the lump in her throat. "He said that I was the same as him; that I'm a werewolf too. How is that even possible?"

"Elena-" Damon started and took a step forward, stopping as he watched her recoil.

"He said that you were supposed to have told me already. I think you better skip the 'I was only trying to protect you' bullshit and start explaining."

Damon stared at her, the commanding tone of her voice was a bit too much like Katherine for his liking. Shaking it off he gestured to the couch. "I think you should sit for this one."

Elena stared back at him, trying to decide if she should follow his advice or ignore him. In the end, she gave in and sat on the couch where she had been before. "From the beginning and don't leave anything out."

He nodded and took a deep breath as he sat on the opposite end to face her. "Tyler voiced his opinion about this after he found you. He said that you had exhibited the same signs of the initiation as he had and I told him he was crazy. Then, I started noticing some changes about you and I couldn't ignore it anymore so I started looking into it."

"That was the research project you were being so secretive about?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And that day I asked you if you had found what you were looking for at City Hall. You had proof then, yet you still kept it from me?"

Slowly, he inclined his head. "I wanted to tell you, but I was still in denial. We had just started things and then this came along." He shook his head. "I should have told you from the beginning, yes."

Elena nodded and let out a deep breath. "What did you find?" At the moment, all she cared about was how this was possible. She would deal with her anger towards him later.

Damon thought about all that he had learned and began telling her the truth about her family ties. "When I was human, I remember George Lockwood's younger cousin coming to visit. Her name was Lucy Lockwood and she was as charming as she was beautiful. It was easy to see why Johnathan Gilbert fell for her. I wasn't around them much, nor did I pay attention at the time, but I do remember that they spent quite a bit of time together. They were even the talk of the town at one point. After almost a year of being in Mystic Falls, Lucy was there one day and gone the next. She just disappeared and soon after the vampires took up residence instead. I found Lucy Lockwood's journal at City Hall. She left because her family had discovered the werewolf gene. They thought of it as a curse too, so they sent her away, only, she was pregnant at the time. She had just learned that she was with child, but kept the knowledge from everyone else."

"I don't understand," Elena said, looking confused. "Johnathan got married after the events of 1864 and had kids with his wife."

Damon cleared his throat. "This is where it gets a bit complicated. During Stefan's uncontrollable years, he came back to Mystic Falls and attacked some of the founding families, yours being one of them. I was watching him at the time, but he managed to give me the slip. He killed Mrs. Gilbert and their children. He almost killed Johnathan Gilbert too, but I got to him before that could happen."

"But then-"

Damon shook his head to cut her off. "After the attack, Johnathan took off. No one knew if he was coming back or not. He did come back a few months later with a boy around the age of four which was about the same age as the boy he had lost. He told a few people that he found the boy abandoned on his journey and decided to raise him as his own, but Lucy's journal says differently. Around the time of the attacks, she fell ill and reached out to Johnathan. Her last entry was that she was happy her boy had been reunited with his father before it was too late."

Elena was shaking her head by the time he was done with his explanation. "That still doesn't make any sense. What about my- What about Grayson? He was a doctor; a surgeon. He caused a few accidental deaths, but he never changed. And John..."

"John only killed those that were already dead," Damon supplied. "But I looked into that too. Apparently, your grandparents ironically ran into the same trouble that Miranda went into when she and Grayson were trying to have a child. After many tries, they just couldn't and ended up adopting Grayson when he was couple months old."

"No one ever mentioned that."

"I don't think they ever told him," Damon replied. "And then a few years later, along came John, giving them a miracle."

Elena sighed in frustration, trying to wrap her mind around what she had just heard. "So Jeremy isn't a Gilbert by blood either?"

"Right. Just you."

Elena felt her blood go cold as she realized something. "So that makes me a Lockwood _and_a Gilbert? I'm Tyler's cousin?"

"Something like that."

Elena's nose wrinkled and she shuddered. "I kissed him once in elementary school."

"Well, this is the South..." Damon teased, forgetting for a moment that she was mad at him. He was reminded by being on the receiving end of a glare. He got to his feet and motioned for her to stay sitting. "I'll be right back," he said, before vanishing from the room. He returned in record speed with an armload of stuff to give her.

"What is all this?"

"Lucy's journals, birth certificates, adoption paperwork; everything you need for proof."

"Why did City Hall have this?"

Damon was silent for a moment and she looked up at him. "There was only one of Lucy's journals down at city hall. It was an early one where she was happy. It ended with her meeting Johnathan and a few passages about their romance."

"And the others?"

"The others were the ones that you found at the lake house. They're still in one of the storage rooms here. Most of them are Johnathan's account of what happened and then there is only one of Lucy's. It was her last one which is why he probably kept it."

Elena shook her head as she briefly went through the stack he had given her. "I still can't believe you would keep something like this from me."

"I had to know the truth, Elena. And I kept this from you because I was waiting until I had the full story. I wanted to have all the evidence before presenting you with something new to worry about." Elena took a deep breath and gathered everything into her arms before getting to her feet. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to Bonnie's."

"Elena-"

"I need time to process all of this and I can't do that and be mad at you," she said, heading towards the front door. She paused as if she were going to say something, but decided it was best if she just left and slipped out of the house, leaving Damon to go over everything, wishing he could take it all back and do it differently.

* * *

Bonnie brought the two steaming mugs of hot chocolate to the living room where Elena was sitting. In front of her, the evidence was scattered across the coffee table after they had gone through the journals and read certain passages. So far, everything Damon had said was right. From the looks of things, they had come to the conclusion that Elena was in fact a werewolf and to top it off she was related to Tyler. Elena sat there, staring at the array of journals, still trying to process it all.

"I still don't understand how no one knew about this. His family was killed and yet he comes home with a child a few months later and no one says _anything_?"

"We can always hold a seance and see if we can get to the bottom of this that way," she suggested.

Elena shook her head. "I believe him and the evidence is all there, it's just hard to believe in general, you know?"

Bonnie nodded as she took her seat in the chair next to the couch. "Well, the town was going through so much at the time. I think that after dealing with all of the magic and vampire stuff, they wanted things to go back to normal and chose not to question it. It might have even been denial. You know how humans can be."

Elena shot Bonnie a look.

"You know what I mean. Don't tell me that those four years you were gone you didn't let your guard down a little bit. You left because you wanted a little peace from all the supernatural."

Elena sighed and leaned back against the couch. It was true to some degree. There were times where she had gotten careless, wanting to believe that she had left all that stuff behind her. She had foolishly believed that nothing would follow her; she had been lucky that nothing did. She closed her eyes and was rewarded with the image of the hurt on Damon's face when she got up to leave.

"I hate this. It's like the universe wants me to be miserable," she said. "First, I was finally happy after my parents died only to find out by boyfriend was a vampire, my best friend a witch, and that I was a doppelganger to this awful vampire. Then, after four years of figuring out what's missing in my life, this happens and threatens to take it all away from me."

Bonnie's head tipped to the side. "Why would you say that?"

"The full moon is in a week. I'm going to be a werewolf. I'll officially have no future with Damon. I won't even have enough to tell if I have a future with him or not. It's not like I can reverse this or prevent the change." As she said that, her eyes lit up and she looked at Bonnie. "Unless..."

Bonnie shook her head slightly, almost like an automatic reaction. "I've never heard of anything that could do either of those."

"What about if a werewolf can become a vampire?"

"Elena..."

"Oh come on, we both know it's a very likely possibility."

Bonnie shifted uncomfortably. "Still."

"Please, Bonnie. I'm begging you to help me."

Bonnie stared at her for a long moment before sighing heavily. "I'll do it on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That you go back to the boarding house. If I can't come up with anything, you two need all the time you can get to figure out what you're going to do."

Elena got up and threw her arms around her friend. "You're the best."

"I'll keep you informed," Bonnie said as Elena grabbed her keys and headed for the door. With Elena gone, Bonnie got up and went to retrieve her grimoires. It was going to be a long night.


	15. Chapter 15

**a/n: Alright guys, we're coming towards the end of the story; only two chapters left (sadly, yes, including this one). I'm glad you guys liked the back story for Elena. It was ridiculously hard to come up with it so that there were no loopholes or anything that didn't add up. :) Any guesses as to what Elena and Damon will choose to do?**

**p.s. I should mention that I wrote this before the show announced that the bite of a were could kill a vampire. If you've read my other stories, you know I like to think that it does the opposite. And I also wrote this before we found out that Klaus was the only way to make a hybrid, so for this story's sake, if that's the route these two chose to go, Klaus will have had nothing to do with it. (I say this because I know a few of you will ask and I haven't made up my mind as to what she'll be yet).**

FIFTEEN

Damon paced the length of the parlor room, filling his glass each time he passed the liquor cart. He had messed up and now Elena was gone. He knew that she had left to figure things out, but he couldn't suppress the nagging feeling that this was the end of the road for them. He snorted at that idea. Of course it would work out this way. He had finally found the love of his life and he had screwed it up. He was too lost in his self betrayal that he didn't hear the door open or Elena's footsteps in the foyer. It was her sudden appearance at the top of the parlor steps that brought him out of his thoughts and back to the present reality. "Hey," he said.

Elena held his gaze with her own as she walked towards him, stopping once she had reached him. She raised her hands until they were gently cupping his face and before he knew it, she was drawing him in for a kiss. For a moment, Damon wasn't sure if this was real or his wishful thinking turned mirage. Either way, he wasn't going to stop and kissed her back as gently as she kissed him. When Elena broke the kiss, she simply put her arms around his body and laid her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry I ran out on you like that."

"Don't be. I would have done the same."

"It's not that I didn't believe you, because I did. I was angry, but more so at the fact that we were just starting to get along so well and then this happened. Someone should have written that down instead of just letting it fly under the radar."

Damon put his arms around her tightly for reassurance. "I know. But that's not how things worked back then. It was all about covering things like that up so that there would be no gossip about you the next day. It was the opposite of today where there's no such thing as privacy anymore."

"Still," she mumbled, her voice full of annoyance at her past relatives. It seemed that no matter which side of the family she looked into, there were more skeletons in their closets than anyone should ever have. With a sigh, she pulled away and grabbed his hand before moving in the direction of the stairs.

"You do realize that we let a perfectly good pizza go to waste, right?"

Elena shrugged. "It's not like you paid for it anyway."

"Touche," he replied and let her lead him up to their room.

Instead of getting ready for bed, they laid on top of the covers. Damon wrapped his arms around her while she laid half on him and half on the bed. "We need to talk about this and it's not something that can wait."

"I know," he said, dreading this conversation. This was not something they were supposed to bring up until much, much later in their future, but fate had other ideas for them as usual.

"We don't know much about werewolves and for all we know, it could be dangerous." As she said that, realization clicked and her stomach churned. "But you've already had my blood," she said, craning her neck to look at him. "Did it have any effect on you?"

He nodded. "It gave me a rush quite unlike anything else I've ever had."

She frowned and settled back down against his chest. "I always thought it would have the opposite effect."

"Me too, but I'm very glad it didn't."

They were silent for a moment. Neither of them wanted to bring up the next topic, but it was Elena who spoke first. "I probably won't be able to turn."

"It's a fifty-fifty thing."

"Yeah, either you kill me and I come back or you kill me and I stay dead," Elena said dryly and then winced. "Where does that leave us, Damon? If I can't turn, I..."

Damon watched her sit up and pull herself out of his arms. "You what?" he asked softly, waiting for her to continue even though he had a feeling he knew what she was going to say.

"I don't think I could be with you. It would be fair to you to be in a relationship with me knowing time was going to run out sooner rather than later."

Damon reached up to wipe away the few tears that had leaked from the corner of her eyes. He didn't say anything because she was right. It wouldn't be fair to either of them to stick around in a relationship that was doomed to break apart. Each time they looked at each other they would only see the pain and eventual heartbreak of letting go. Damon was so caught up in thinking of losing her that he didn't realize she had spoken again until she called his name.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said I'm human now. You could always change me before the full moon."

The slight flush of her cheeks was endearing to him and he sat up to face her. He took her hands in both of his and stared into her eyes. "There is nothing more that I would want than to have you by my side for all eternity, but I want you to _want_it. Not because it was either that or lose me because in the end, you'll resent me. But if it's something you truly want, then I will. You still have some time Elena. Think about it. Besides, I'm sure you asked Bonnie to look into some things too."

Elena nodded and smiled slightly at him. She knew what she would be giving up if she turned, but it was the same thing she would be giving up if she chose to stay human too. She didn't want a wedding unless it was theirs and she certainly didn't want kids unless they were theirs as well. "I'll think about it."

Damon pulled her back into his arms as they laid back against the pillows again. "I love you, Elena."

"I love you too, Damon," she replied.

Silence washed over them then as they both contemplated their uncertain futures both before they fell asleep and in their dreams.

* * *

Damon watched Elena get dressed after her shower and decided to break the silence hovering over them for the first time that morning. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to track down Tyler. He needs to know the truth too and I want to apologize for scaring him."

Damon smirked. "You mean you want to apologize for me."

Elena grinned back. "Exactly."

Damon got out of bed and pulled Elena to him before she could reach the door. "And when will you be back?"

"I don't know, a few hours I guess."

He nodded and leaned in to brush his lips against hers. "Don't be gone too long," he teased, but there was a serious undertone.

"I'll try my best," she replied and pulled out of his embrace so that she could head down to her car. She decided to try the Lockwood manor first, seeing as it was closest to the boarding house. She pulled into the driveway and stared up at the mansion. It had been four years since being back here and it brought back all the memories of Founder's parties, both good and bad. Shrugging it off, she made her way to the front door and let out a breath of relief as Tyler answered it.

"Elena?"

"No, it's Katherine," she replied dully. Tyler eyed her wearily and Elena rolled her eyes. "Yes it's me. We need to talk about last night."

He nodded and stepped back to let her in. "My mom's not home so you don't have to keep your voice down or anything," he said as he shut the door behind her.

Elena followed him into the living room and took a seat on the couch. "First of all, sorry about Damon. You were telling me something that he should have and he had no right to be that angry with you. Second, I found out a lot about my past that seems to coincide with yours. Do you have to go to work today?"

"Not for a few hours."

"Okay good," she said and motioned for him to sit. "For starters, you were right. I am a werewolf."

"I knew it," he mumbled.

"Did you also know that I'm a Lockwood too?"

Elena knew the answer was no, but the look on his face was priceless. "We're related? How is that possible?"

"I've been asking myself that all night."

"Did Damon explain this?"

Elena nodded. "Apparently, before the vampires came, Johnathan Gilbert fell in love with Lucy Lockwood. She left town suddenly, about the time the Lockwoods found out about the curse, but by that time, she was already with child. She wrote about it in a journal, kind of like the ones we found at the lake house from Johnathan, but not quite as extensive. One night, Johnathan's wife and children were killed and he left town for a little while. When he returned, he had a boy with him that was about the same age as the one he had lost. Damon found one of Lucy's journals in with Johnathan's explaining everything up to her death. The boy was theirs and he raised it as a Gilbert only. Neither of them said a word about it to the other Lockwoods and Johnathan never knew of the curse."

"Jeremy-"

"Is not a real Gilbert," Elena said. "My grandparents had trouble conceiving and adopted Grayson. That's why he never changed even though he was a surgeon. John was a miracle child, but since he only went after vampires, he never changed either. Jeremy won't have to worry about any of this because he's not a Gilbert by blood and as far as I know, the Sommer's family is clean of all supernatural entities."

Tyler shook his head and leaned back against the couch. "This is a lot to take in."

"Yeah, trying being the doppelganger on top of it."

"Are you and Damon okay?"

She nodded. "According to him, my blood doesn't cause any harm, so we're okay for now." She decided it was best not to talk about her romantic issues at the moment so she changed the subject. "Jeremy once told me the short version of how you activated the curse. I'd like to hear the full story if you don't mind. Like you said, it's nice to have someone who understands what you're going through."

Tyler raked a hand through his hair as he sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "About two years ago, Caroline was back in town. She had heard of a party in Fell's Church from one of the kids we went to school with and she invited me to go. We were fine until we started driving back home. It was just one of those things that we were arguing but we didn't know why. She got mad because I had no idea what she was talking about and then I got even more mad."

"That's Caroline for you," Elena supplied.

"We had been drinking, but I knew I was driving so I only had a few beers. But the arguing caused me to lose focus and I ran a stop sign. There was a woman going through the intersection that I hit head on. I was thrown from the car and Caroline was stuck because of her seatbelt. She was able to call for an ambulance. When I came to, I found out that the woman had died instantly."

"I'm so sorry," Elena said lightly, putting her hand over his.

"The worst part is that it wasn't even my fault. Yes, she died by my hand, but it was just an accident. The police tested my blood alcohol and it came back that I was basically sober. They investigated the scene and found that the stop sign on my side had fallen off, so according to the law, I was a victim as much as she was."

Elena felt her heart wrench at that. "Tyler..."

"At least you activated the damn thing defending yourself," he muttered, staring down at the ground.

Elena's lips twitched into a smile. "Thanks again for helping me get rid of the body though."

"You're welcome," he said, grinning slightly. He looked at her finally and let out a deep breath. "It feels good to tell that to someone who understands."

"I bet."

He nodded. "Look, as much as I appreciate you coming over here, you should go. You need to be with Damon right now."

"I'll leave on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You do not tell your mother under any circumstance that I'm a Lockwood."

Tyler laughed and shook his head. "Oh trust me, I will not be telling her any of this," he assured her as they got to their feet.

Elena caught him in a quick hug and he hugged her back. "I guess I'll see you in a few days if not before."

"Everything will be alright, Elena. You just have to believe it will."

She nodded and opened the door. "Thanks Ty," she said and headed back to the boarding house to be with Damon.

* * *

The following afternoon, Bonnie sat across from Elena and Damon in the parlor as she told them what she had found. "There was nothing in my grimoire about how to prevent the change from occurring once the curse has been activated. I looked everywhere I could except for contacting the dead. I might have some luck there, but I don't know if I'll have enough time to set up the ritual or if I'm even strong enough."

Elena nodded and looked briefly at Damon before looking back to Damon. "What about the hybrid thing?"

"Since most werewolves have been hunted almost to the point of extinction, there aren't many sources out there. I asked a few other witches and from what he all could understand, it's a fifty-fifty thing. I can't say for sure if you would wake up or if you wouldn't."

"What if we had some help?" Damon asked, looking at her in a way that made sure Bonnie understood his meaning.

Bonnie thought about it before she shrugged. "I don't know. It's possible, but I would guess the same odds." She sighed and looked at Elena with sorrow in her eyes. "If you're really serious about preventing the change, your best bet is to turn before the full moon. But I have to remind you that the change takes place for three nights; not just one. The night before, the night of, and the night after the full moon."

Elena's eyes widened. "That's only two days including this one."

Bonnie nodded slowly. "I'm sorry Elena. I'll keep looking, but I had to tell you what I found so far, even though it wasn't good."

"Thanks Bon, I appreciate it," she said and stood up at the same time as her friend. "Come on, I'll walk you out," she added, sensing there was something Bonnie wanted to say without Damon around.

Once they were outside, Bonnie started talking. "Look, Elena. I know you love him, but please, promise me you'll make your decision because it's something you want; not because you want him."

"Damon already gave me that speech. He said he wasn't going to turn me unless he was sure that I was doing it for the right reasons." She shrugged and offered her friend a light smile. "I once told Stefan that I was ready to turn in order to be with him. I didn't realize what it meant then, but I do now. Marriage is a commitment that people make because they found someone they want to share their life with at that time. Becoming a vampire is a bigger commitment because there is no going back. You can always get divorced but you can't be alive again. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does."

"I know you still have your issues with Damon and I'm so grateful that you're helping me with this despite those issues, but I need to make you understand. I have loved him for six years and even though we were apart for most of that time, that feeling never went away. I was afraid to admit it before and it wasn't the right time in the beginning, but it's right now. When I woke up after that horrible accident and he was there to take care of me..." her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "I can't explain it, it just felt like I was home and for the first time ever, I was completely safe."

Bonnie sighed and then smiled. "It sounds like you've already made your decision."

"I've been thinking about this for a long time now, Bon. But now I have this other nature and I'm kind of excited to get to know that part of me too." She shrugged. "I just want to know that whatever decision I make, you'll be there to support me. You're my best friend Bonnie; I need you."

Bonnie nodded and pulled Elena into a hug. "With all the things that have happened to you, becoming a hybrid will probably work just fine. Hell, you'll probably be knocked up hybrid."

Elena couldn't help but laugh at that and Bonnie pulled back. "As crazy at that sounds, I wouldn't completely rule that out."

"I promise I'll keep looking and I'll let you know the moment I find anything, okay?"

"Okay. See you later," she replied and watched as the witch drove away from the boarding house.

When Elena returned, Damon handed her a drink before they sat on the couch again. "So what did you two talk about out there?"

"Girl stuff," she said with a grin.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, watching as emotions danced across her face.

"Everything. I'm curious as to what the change will bring, yet I'm nervous about the consequences should I choose to follow that path."

"Elena, this is your life. I want you to be happy and I know better than anyone how hard it is to not give in to your nature." He reached over for her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "We've already proved that your blood isn't dangerous to me; if anything, it makes me want you more. I know you want me to say something more, to help make this decision for you, but I won't. You need to decide for yourself or you'll regret it in the end."

Elena watched him for a moment, letting her eyes travel his body with no shame. When Damon gave her a questioning look, she smiled more. "What?" he asked.

She took his glass and set it on the coffee table along with hers before moving to straddle his waist. She placed her hands on his chest and cocked her head to the side. Instead of saying anything, she leaned in and kissed him. In that moment, she knew that no matter what she decided, he wasn't going anywhere and that was perfectly okay with her.


	16. Chapter 16

**a/n: This chapter is the last chapter and it is a time jump. Just to be clear, the first part takes place 1.5 years after the last chapter and the second part takes place 6 months after that. I'm very happy with the way this story turned out; even if it was longer than I intended it to be and took me forever to get out. I'm so glad that all of you enjoyed it as much as I did and thanks for sticking with me to the end!**

**As for what's next: I will be finishing Fighting Fate first and foremost. After that I have four more stories in the works. There is Of Different Worlds which is Tyler/Elena. It is a request story, but the rest of my works will be Delena. Written in the Stars: Rise of the Doppelganger / The Story of Us / and Within Temptation: The Art of Compulsion. Yes, it is a sequel to The Art of Possession; a long time coming, I know, but I'm so excited for it! Okay, enough of that, enjoy the finale!****  
**  
SIXTEEN

The chill in the air made the run that much more enjoyable. The sky was clear, the millions of stars twinkling down upon her. She could feel the dirt beneath her as she ran as fast as she could. She felt the air stir beside and growled as her companion sped by, laughing as he went. To taunt her further, he reached down and patted her head, running his fingers slightly through her shiny brown coat. She gave a quick snort and put more speed behind her step and soon she was catching up to him. He turned around, a look of surprise on his face as she lunged, taking him down to the ground beneath her with a thud.

By the time she had landed, she had completed the transformation from wolf to human again. She smirked down at him as her hands gripped his shoulders to keep him in place. He smirked back before letting his gaze travel to her bare breasts. "You must be a lot colder in this form."

She leaned down and nipped at his earlobe. "Then I guess you better start warming me up."

She didn't have to ask twice as he reached up and cupped her face so that he could bring her lips to his. The kiss was both demanding and passionate as they both fought for dominance. She smiled into the kiss as his hands began to trail down her body. They stopped at her breasts that were begging for attention; the nipples already hardened with desire for him. She moaned into the kiss and rotated her hips, grinding against the rising bulge of his pants.

His hands moved even lower, reaching her already wet center. With ease, he slipped two fingers inside of her while his thumb played with her clit. Abruptly, she moved her lips to his ear again and whispered, "I want you inside me. Now."

Needing no further encouragement, he removed his clothes with some help for her and before he knew it, she was guiding him into her wet heat. They groaned in unison as she sat up straight, letting her long brown hair cascade down her back as well as her front. He reached up to knead her breasts, wanting her nothing more than to touch her everywhere. She looked down at him and he saw that familiar flash of hunger in her eyes. He rose then and wrapped an arm around her back to keep her in place. Their lips met for a bruising kiss, swallowing each other's moans in the process.

As they both neared their climaxes, they broke the kiss and looked into each other's eyes. After a moment, they leaned in to one another in a synchronized manner and allowed their lips to touch one another's shoulders as they had done countless times before. She parted her lips first, letting her tongue sweep across his skin as her eyes closed from the deepness of his thrusts. Just as they always did, their fangs lengthened at the same time and pierced each other's skin, sending them both over the edge into oblivion.

When they were done, they remained where they were, but lifted their heads to look at each other. "I love this new nature of yours," he said as he kissed her bloody lips with his.

"You know what would make it even better?"

"Elena..."

"My changes are getting faster and I'm stronger than I was in the beginning. It's been over a year and a half," she argued and reached up to cup his face. Staring at him with a seriousness in her eyes, she rotated her hips eliciting a sharp moan from him as she added, "I love you, Damon and I want to be yours in _every_ way."

"I still don't think-"

"Bonnie said she would help us."

He started to shake his head, but groaned again as she moved once more. "Now is not a good time to talk about this."

"It never is," she replied and began to smirk. In an agonizingly slow pace, she moved herself up and down, still staring into his eyes. "But I want to make myself very clear. Until I get what I want, you are not getting any of _this_," she said and with one final move, she pulled away completely and got to her feet.

"You can't be serious," he replied, his face full of emotions; all of which had Elena laughing.

"Oh I'm serious," she said and took a few more steps away from him. "So what's it going to be Salvatore? A relationship with a were with no sex or a relationship with a hybrid with lots of it?"

He scowled and watched as she changed back into the form of the wolf. As she began to walk away, he swore under his breath. "Alright, alright. You win." She replied with a howl of victory as he redressed. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered and followed her back to their place.

* * *

Elena sat at the bar, drink in hand. She was trying to focus all of her attention on the flat screen in front of her, but her senses were going haywire. She wanted to get up and leave, but Damon had instructed her to wait for him and that was just what she was going to do. Taking another long sip from her glass, Elena closed her eyes for a moment and tried to drown out the sound of the crowded room. Just as the noise was beginning to recede, she felt a hand on her arm. She smirked as she turned her head. "Took you long enough." Her smirk faded and her eyes widened in shock as she saw the person who had grabbed her. "Stefan?"

He was staring at her as if she weren't real. As if he were trying to figure out just what she was exactly. His body was poised to attack as he looked her up and down. Finally, his gaze me hers again and he narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong," he said.

It was then Elena noticed that his hand was still on her arm and his grip was tightening. She realized what it was that he was thinking and smiled softly at him, resting her free hand over his. "Stefan, it's me, Elena; not Katherine."

He continued to stare at her, wondering if it were a good idea to trust her or not. Katherine had tricked him more than once already in his long life. He didn't want to be fooled again. "How do I know it's you?"

Elena shrugged. "You just have to trust me."

His gaze dropped slightly to her chest and Elena knew he was listening for a heartbeat. He looked back up at her and she could see his eyes beginning to darken with rage. "I swear-"

"Stefan..." Elena pleaded softly and begged him to believe her with her eyes.

After another long moment of staring her down, Stefan released his hold and took a small step back. "I want to believe it's you, but I can't. There's something different about you and-"

"A lot has changed in the six years since I've seen you," Elena returned and gestured to the empty seat next to her. "For starters, I found out that I have the werewolf gene. That's probably why you can't believe me; because I don't give off the same sense anymore."

"How the hell is that possible?"

Elena laughed and finished her drink before signaling the bartender for another round. "Apparently, Johnathan Gilbert had an affair with Lucy Lockwood before the events of 1864. After you killed his wife and children, he left and came back with his and Lucy's son. He raised him as if nothing had happened. To make things even better, Grayson was adopted so he and Jeremy aren't real Gilberts, but John also has the gene."

"How did you find out about this?"

Elena downed her fresh shot and looked down at her empty glass. "About two years ago, I decided to go back to Mystic Falls for the first time since graduation and-"

"You left on graduation night?"

"It seems that you weren't the only one that bailed. Ironically, people thought that you had turned me and that we ran off together."

"Elena-"

"It doesn't matter now," she interrupted and cleared her throat. "One night I was walking home and this guy started following me. He came after me and one thing led to another and before I knew it, he was dead. He pulled a knife on me, but I was the one that used it."

Elena could see the way Stefan's body went rigid after her short explanation. "You activated the curse."

She nodded. "Tyler found me and called Jeremy for help. I didn't know about any of this until about a week before the first full moon. Damon did most of the research, but Tyler was the one to let it slip."

"Damon?" Stefan questioned, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Elena held his gaze and nodded again, but she didn't elaborate. "It's been quite the adjustment, but I have to admit, I didn't think I would enjoy being a were as much as I do. It's exhilarating; the rush of the change, the way the full moon makes you come alive more than anything else."

Stefan grimaced at the way her eyes lit up and he forced himself to look away as she subconsciously licked her lips. This was a side of Elena he had never seen before and it hurt him a little. Then again, she was the one that had asked to be turned six years ago. Snapping out of his thoughts, Stefan realized that she had continued and one word caught his attention. "Hybrid?"

"It took several months of asking and begging, but finally he came around. I knew what I was getting into when I asked for it. I knew that the chances of it working were fifty-fifty, but with Bonnie's help, I was able to come back as a werewolf and a vampire; a hybrid."

"When?"

"He caved about six months ago," she answered.

Stefan stared at her and she could see the disgust in his eyes, but she was determined not to let it get to her. "And he is?" he asked even though he was sure he knew the answer already.

"Damon," she replied and watched as his eyes turned black with rage. She reached out and took his hands. "I love him, Stefan. I've always been in love with him even when I was too afraid to admit it."

Stefan pulled away from her and got up. "You're not better than-"

Elena's eyes flashed with an anger Stefan had never seen before as she stood up. "If the next word out of your mouth is what I think it is, I will tear you to pieces right here and now. I am _nothing_like her," she said and rolled her shoulders. "Then again, that's probably why you and I never worked out."

"Excuse me?"

"You loved her, I know you did and you loved me, but it was never the same. You never got over her and from what I can tell, you're still not. I saw the look on your face when you believed it was me. It was relief and disappointment all at the same time. I'm sorry if this hurts you, but it's the truth." She relaxed a little and took a deep breath. "I am in love with Damon and I know that's hard for you to hear, but you need to accept it. I've moved on and you need to too. Damon had put aside his feelings about 1864 and the time we were in high school and you should too."

Stefan grinned in that way that hysterical people do. He shook his head and took another step back. "I'm glad I ran into you Elena because now I can move on, just like you want me to. All this time I've been feeling guilty about the way things ended, but I still stand by what I said. As for Damon; he will hurt you. It's just a matter of time and I will not be there for you when he does."

"Stefan-"

Even as she called out his name, he had already disappeared through the crowd, leaving Elena to simply stare after him wishing their reunion could have been a better one. With a sigh, she turned around and jumped at the sight of Damon sitting on the barstool she had vacated.

"How long have you been here?"

"I caught most of it," he said and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "Don't let him get to you. It's only been six years; that's hardly anything to a vampire. He has plenty of time to come around and you'll be there too when he does. We both will," he said and got to his feet to take her into his arms. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

"Please," she said and slid her arm around his waist as they made their way to the door. "What's on the agenda for tonight?"

"I was thinking about getting some dinner," he said once they were outside.

"I could eat," Elena replied, craning her neck to smile up at him.

Damon smirked and leaned down to kiss her. "Then I know just the place."


End file.
